PsycINFO
The American Psychological Association's index — the standard for psychology and behavioral science.
At a Glance
- Publisher
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- Coverage
5M+ records covering psychology and related fields from 2,400+ journals, plus books and dissertations, with deep back-catalogue (verify current counts).
- Access
Institutional subscription via APA PsycNET, EBSCO, ProQuest, or Ovid.
- Free alternative
- PubMed for the biomedical overlap; Google Scholar; OpenAlex.
- Regional
Global; the authoritative psychology index.
Our Take
PsycINFO is the field standard for psychology and the behavioral sciences — the APA’s curated index with a controlled vocabulary that makes precise, reproducible searching possible, which matters enormously for systematic reviews. Its depth and back-catalogue are unmatched in the discipline. The trade-offs: it is a paid database accessed through various platforms, each with a different interface, and it is psychology-specific. Use it as your precision instrument in psychology; pair with PubMed for the clinical overlap.
Power Tips
- Search the APA Thesaurus descriptors for reproducible, comprehensive results.
- Note which platform you are on (PsycNET, EBSCO, Ovid) — syntax and features differ.
- Combine with PubMed for clinical and health psychology to catch the biomedical overlap.
Alternatives & Complements
PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC
Figures last verified: June 15, 2026