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Psychological Measurement and Testing
Tests and measures are used in assessment and research and can take the form of surveys, questionnaires, instruments, scales, and more. Finding these materials can be particularly challenging. As you're navigating the resources on this page, note that:
- No single database provides full-text versions of all tests or measures, so this means that you will likely have to look in a few different places to find them.
- Some researchers and test creators publish their complete tests in books and journal articles. Others have sold the “rights” to their tests to publishing companies, and now the publishers distribute (sell) the tests.
- There are likely many options for relevant tests, depending on the people you want to study and what you want to learn about them.
Subject:
Test-Specific Resources
If you aren't looking for a particular test, but want to find a complete test or measure, consider these resources.
Positive Psychological Assessment: A Handbook of Models and Measures
Measures for Clinical Practice and Research: A Sourcebook
Measures for Clinical Practice and Research: A Sourcebook (Vol. 2, Adults)Freely Available Tests
BRFSS Questionnaires
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the nation’s premier system of health-related telephone surveys that collect state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services.
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NIDAMED: Screening and Assessment Tools Chart
From the National Institute on Drug Abuse, this chart provides a comprehensive guide and links to evidence-based screening and assessment tools to be used with patients from adolescence to adulthood. It is organized by substance type, patient age, and administration method.
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CHIPTS Surveys and Scales
The Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) is a collaboration of diverse, multi-disciplinary HIV researchers from UCLA, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, Friends Research Institute, and the RAND Corporation. This Resource Library features freely-available tests relating to alcohol/drug use, HIV-AIDS, and other community health issues.
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HRSA National Survey of Children's Health Questionnaires
The Health Resources & Services Administration Maternal & Child Health Bureau conducts this National Survey of Children’s Health. The survey provides national and state level estimates of key measures of child health and well-being.
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National Assessment of Educational Progress Survey Questionnaires
The NAEP questionnaires are completed by students, teachers, and school administrators who participate in a NAEP assessment and collect additional information about students' demographics and educational experiences.
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University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center
Includes information about various questionnaires related to positive psychology.
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RAND Corporation Health Surveys
Available for free in the public domain, these surveys developed by the RAND Corporation are designed for a wide range of purposes, including assessing patients' health, screening for mental health conditions, and measuring quality of care and quality of life.
[More details]Starting Points
Consider the following starting points when looking for tests or measures for your research projects:
- Try the library database APA PsycTests, which includes the full text of some tests, instruments and scales
- Explore test-specific resources to find commonly used and peer reviewed tests and measures using the resources listed in the box to the left.
- Identify tests you'd like to use by exploring reviews of tests using the resources listed in the box below. (Note that you will likely find the tests themselves elsewhere.)
- Search for published journal articles that include test questions using the resources in the box below.
APA PsycTests
APA PsycTests indexes a wide variety of test types and instruments including aptitude tests, personality scales and cognitive functioning measures. Research instruments are available as PDF downloads or multimedia files. Select measurements are available in more than 40 languages. Coverage spans more than 100 years, with a strong emphasis on current research instruments.
[More details]The library's best bet for finding psychological instruments. APA PsycTests indexes a wide variety of test types and instruments including aptitude tests, personality scales and cognitive functioning measures. Instruments are available as PDF downloads or multimedia files.
APA's Guide to Finding Information About Psychological Tests
Answers to frequently asked questions are provided in this American Psychological Association guide and are divided into three topic areas: published psychological tests, unpublished psychological tests, and additional information on the proper use of tests.
[More details]Reviews of Tests and Measures
The resources below do NOT provide copies of tests. Instead, they offer basic information such as the test name, purpose, population, scoring system, validity, price, and publisher.
Mental Measurements Yearbook
Provides users with a comprehensive guide to over 3,000 contemporary testing instruments. The MMY series contains information essential for a complete evaluation of test products within such diverse areas as psychology, sociology, education, business, and leadership.
[More details]Provides critical reviews on the construction, use, and validity of more than 3,000 contemporary testing instruments. Includes measures from psychology, sociology, education, business, and leadership.
APA Testing and Assessment
APA's Testing Office offers a testing information clearinghouse with links to several full text and sale items, and a list of links to other testing sites; also offers guide to finding and using psychological tests.
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Buros Center for Testing
Resource for psychology and education research in assessment development. Provides free access to vetted testing materials and questions that can be repurposed by professionals and students for creating diagnostic or subject evaluation materials. From the publishers of the Mental Measurements Yearbook.
[More details]Finding Measures in Published Journal Articles
While most journal articles will not reproduce a test or instrument in full, you may be able to find a few questions described in the Methodology or Appendix sections of articles. Articles can also help explain how measures have been used or tested. Use the suggestions below each database to find tests and measures.
APA PsycINFO
This database is the American Psychological Association (APA)'s renowned resource for abstracts of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books and dissertations. PsycINFO is the largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health, with ninety-nine percent of the covered material peer-reviewed.
[More details]If searching by topic, add the term "appended" to a separate search box from your topic keywords and change the dropdown to the right of the search box from "Anywhere" to "TM Tests and Measures." Alternatively, use the Tests & Measures filter which you will find on the left side of the search results page.
HaPI
Provides access to information on measurement instruments (i.e. questionnaires, interview schedules, checklists, coding schemes, rating scales, etc.) in the fields of medicine, nursing, public health, psychology, social work, communication, sociology, and organizational behavior/ human resources. Content in HaPI is based on published studies from peer-reviewed scholarly journals, books, technical reports, and test publishers' catalogs.
[More details]Search by keyword or instrument name to find tests published in scholarly articles in the fields of medicine, nursing, public health, psychology, social work, communication, sociology, and organizational behavior/human resources. Use the "Get it from UNCW!" link to find full-text of articles either in other library databases or through InterLibrary Loan.
APA PsycARTICLES
APA PsycARTICLES contains full-text, peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific articles in psychology from the American Psychological Association (APA). The database contains more than 164,000 articles from over 100 journals.
[More details]If searching by topic, add the term "appended" to a separate search box from your topic keywords and change the dropdown to the right of the search box from "Anywhere" to "TM Tests and Measures." Alternatively, use the Tests & Measures filter which you will find on the left side of the search results page.
CINAHL Plus with Full Text
CINAHL Plus with Full Text is a robust collection of full text for nursing & allied health journals, providing full text for more than 770 journals indexed in CINAHL. This authoritative file contains full text for many of the most used journals in the CINAHL index, with no embargo. A core research tool for all areas of nursing and allied health literature. Full text coverage dates back to 1937.
[More details]Use the Advanced Search: Type in keywords relevant to your topic. Scroll down the page to find the Publication Type menu box and select Questionnaire/Scale. Add additional filters as needed. Click Search to find material.
ERIC (via ProQuest)
The ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education to provide extensive access to educational-related literature. ERIC provides ready access to education literature to augment American education by increasing and facilitating the use of educational research and information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision-making, and research.
[More details]Use the Advanced Search: Type in keywords relevant to your topic. Under the Document Type menu box, select 160: Tests/Questionnaires. Add additional filters as needed. Click Search to find material.
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global
A comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world, spanning from 1743 to the present day and offering full text for graduate works added since 1997, along with selected full text for works written prior to 1997. It contains a significant amount of new international dissertations and theses both in citations and in full text.
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Google Scholar
Search engine for scholarly literature such as articles, papers, theses, books, and reports.
[More details]Learn About Testing and Assessment
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5
The Wiley Handbook of Psychometric Testing
Psychometric Testing: Critical Perspectives
Handbook of Psychological Assessment
Psychometrics and Psychological Assessment: Principles and Applications
Sage Research Methods
SAGE Research Methods contains more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher. The site is designed to guide users to the content they need to learn a little or a lot about their method. Access includes research methods case studies and datasets.
[More details]Search for terms like "psychometrics," "assessment," "instruments," "measurement," "scaling," or "testing" to learn about conducting research with these methods and techniques.
Sam Zelick
Sam Zelick
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Zelick
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With many thanks to the Behavioral Sciences and Education librarian at Penn State University Libraries and Social Work librarian at the University of Southern California from which information on this page is adapted:
Brissett, A. (2021). Social work. LibGuides. https://libguides.usc.edu/socialwork
Lear, B. (2021). PSYC 571: Tests and measurements (Harrisburg). LibGuides. https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/HBGpsyc571