LibGuides: Education: A Guide to Library Research: Tests &amp; Measures

Introduction

Finding a test or measurement instrument can be challenging at times and requires patience. You will likely need to consult several different resources, online databases and books but don't give up! The resources in this guide are meant to guide you through this process. If you need additional help please contact a librarian.

Remember: Always seek permission from a test's author before using the test unless it is stated explicitly that permission is not required.

Background Information

The Library has online access to the Encyclopedia of Psychological Assessment. Consider using this resource for background information. It does not provide the tests themselves but offers articles and descriptions of many well-known tests.

Encyclopedia of Psychological Assessment by Rocio Fernandez-Ballesteros (Editor)
Each entry includes a general conceptual and methodological overview, a section on relevant assessment devices, followed by links to related concepts in the Encyclopedia and a list of references.

Find a test by name or topic

Unpublished

Unpublished or noncommercial tests or measurements are not available commercially but may be included in articles, studies and dissertations. These tests are also under copyright and you should request permission to use these tests by contacting the author(s).

If you are looking for a specific test and have some idea of the name of the test, here are some ways to search for the test:

PsycInfo & PsycArticles This link opens in a new window
Go to Advanced Search. Enter the name of the test in the first search box, putting the title in quotes if you are sure of the name. Change the field (dropdown) to TM Tests & Measures. In the second search box put in the word "appended."

Look at the results carefully since the study might have used more than one test and might not have appended all of them to the article.
Includes the collections APA PsycInfo and APA PsycArticles.
Health & Psychosocial Instruments (HAPI) This link opens in a new window
Go to Advanced Search. Enter the name of the test in the search box and change the dropdown field to TI Title. If you are using an acronym, change the field to AC Acronym.

If the full text is available, check and see if the measurement instrument is included. Entries that are listed as "primary source" are more likely to contain the actual test since primary sources are the original sources where the test was first mentioned. You can limit to primary source documents in Advanced Search - Source Code.

To obtain a measurement instrument listed in HaPI that is not included in the article, you can also try contacting the author.
ERIC via ProQuest This link opens in a new window
Go to Advanced Search. Enter the name of the test in the search box, putting the title in quotes if you are sure of the name. Below the search box choose Document Type 160: Tests/Questionnaires.

Check the search results carefully to make sure that the appended documents include the specific test you want.
Also available via EBSCOhost and the U.S. Department of Education (open access version).

This database is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education to provide extensive access to education-related literature. ERIC provides coverage of journal articles, conferences, meetings, government documents, theses, dissertations, reports, audiovisual media, bibliographies, directories, books and monographs.

Covers:
- Adult, career and vocational education
- Counseling
- Elementary & early childhood education
- Education management
- Higher education, including junior colleges
- Second-language learning
- Special education
- Teacher education
- Tests, measurement, & evaluation
Many ERIC Documents are online in ERIC, and older ones are available on microfiche on the 1st floor of the Thompson Library.
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global This link opens in a new window
Put the name of the test in the search box in quotes and include NEAR/3 appendi*. NEAR is a proximity operator which looks for words on either side of the other word and with a specified maximum number of words between them. That number (3 in the example) can be whatever you choose.

This search will look for any dissertations that have the name of the test within three words of the word appendix or appendices. Often you can go right to the Table of Contents of the dissertation to check and see if the test you want is included in an appendix.
The official digital dissertations archive for the Library of Congress and as the database of record for graduate research. PQDTGlobal includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. Over 2.1 million titles are available for purchase as printed copies. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full-text coverage for older graduate works. It also includes PQDT UK & Ireland content.

More than 70,000 new full-text dissertations and theses are added to the database each year through dissertations publishing partnerships with 700 leading academic institutions worldwide, and collaborative retrospective digitization of dissertations. Full-text dissertations are archived as submitted by the degree-granting institution. Some will be native PDF, some PDF image.

Each dissertation published since July, 1980 includes a 350-word abstract written by the author. Master's theses published since 1988 include 150-word abstracts. Simple bibliographic citations are available for dissertations dating from 1637. Where available, PQDTGlobal provides 24-page previews of dissertations and theses.
- Subject coverage
- Business and Economics
- Medical Sciences
- Science
- Technology
- Agriculture
- Social Sciences
- Arts
- Humanities
Note: Full text for certain publications is subject to market availability.
PsycTESTS This link opens in a new window
*For full functionality, select APA PsycTESTS ONLY from the "Select Databases" dropdown* - You can search by keyword, by test title or author, among other options. If you know the name of the test, enter it in the search box with quotes around the name if it is longer than one word. Change the search field to Title.

About half of the entries in PsycTests include the full text of the test - check the box for "Test Available." The entries also include the affiliation and address for the author(s) so you might be able to get a copy of the test by contacting the author(s). Make sure you pay attention to the Permissions, this is also a filter in Advanced Search.
PsycTESTS is a research database that provides access to psychological tests, measures, scales, surveys, and other assessments as well as descriptive information about the test and its development and administration. More information:
- Focuses primarily on unpublished tests, those developed by researchers but not made commercially available
- Most records link to a variety of materials describing the test in peer-reviewed literature, technical reports, or dissertations as well as links to related peer-reviewed literature describing test development, review, or use
- All records include a summary that describes the test, with its purpose and some history of its development
- Most records include the actual test instrument
- Covers 1910 to present. 51% of entries are from 2000 and later; 73% are from 1990 and later.
- This database can also be searched together with PsycARTICLES and PsycINFO.
- More info from the APA

Published

Published or commercial tests and measurements are available for purchase from the test publisher. Certification or permission from the publisher and author(s) may be required to administer these tests.