New Thesaurus Terms for Searching APA PsycInfo® (Fall 2022)

In October, APA added 25 new terms to its Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms^® to provide more effective searching on current topics, including cannabis use, socioeconomic status, and health problems related to alcohol use. This Thesaurus update also includes 50 new cross-referenced terms, 147 revised scope notes, and additional edits to historical notes.

Using the controlled vocabulary of the Thesaurus means a database search will quickly and accurately retrieve all publications related to a specific concept, regardless of the keywords the authors may have used.

The Thesaurus tool is found on all platforms as part of APA PsycInfo® and redirects synonyms to the preferred “Use” term to include in your search. Each Thesaurus record includes links to broader terms, narrower terms, and related terms; the year the term was introduced; an historical note if applicable; and a scope note providing definition and application.

This latest Thesaurus update includes edits for some existing terms. Ten terms that were previously “cross-referenced,” that is, redirected you to the preferred “Use” or “postable” term, are now listed as postable terms themselves.

In addition, 30 terms have been edited for clarity.

All changes, including new terms, terms that have switched to preferred or “postable” status, and edited terms, have been backmapped to apply to older records in APA PsycInfo.

You can see the full list of Thesaurus changes on our website.

Related Resource:

YouTube playlist – Using the APA Thesaurus to Find Relevant Articles on a Topic