Tests & Measurements   Tags: psychology  

Tests and Measurements

This Guide lists information resources that may be used to locate and evaluate tests & measurements in Psychology, Education, the Health Sciences, and other areas. For tips on using many of the reference sources listed below see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Psychological Tests, by the American Psychological Association or consult with a reference librarian.

---

Electronic Indexes

• Mental Measurements Yearbook
  The most comprehensive resource for published tests and measurements. Provides unbiased expert reviews.
• HaPI (Health and Psychosocial Instruments).
  A primary resource for locating many different types of published and unpublished tests.
• PsycINFO
  Searches may be limited to "Tests & Measures".
• ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center).
  Searches may be limited to "Tests or Evaluation Instruments"
• CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature).
  Searches may be limited to the publication types: "Research Instrument" or "Questionnaire/Scale".

---

Key Reference Books

• Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY)/Originally edited by Oscar K. Buros. Dunbar Ref Z5814 P8B932.
  The most comprehensive reference work for published tests & measurements.
  
  
• Directory of Unpublished Experimental Mental Measures. Dunbar Ref BF431 G624 v.1(1974)-v.8(2003).
  The primary print source for unpublished tests & measurements. See also HaPI in the Electronic Indexes section of this guide for access to unpublished tests.
  
  
• Tests in Print (TIP)/originally edited by Oscar K. Buros. Dunbar Ref Z5814 E9 T47.
  Particularly valuable because it serves as a cumulative index to the Mental Measurements Yearbooks.
  
  
• Tests: A Comprehensive Reference for Assessments in Psychology, Education, and Business. Dunbar Ref BF176 T43 2008.
  An easy to use single volume resource for published Tests & Measures.
  
  
• Test Critiques. Dunbar Ref BF176 T418.
  A companion to "Tests" listed above, this multi-volume work contains more detailed information.
  
  

---

Specialized Reference Books

• Measures of Personality and Social Psychological Attitudes. Dunbar Ref BF39 M42 1991.
  
  
• Measures for Clinical Practice and Research: A Sourcebook. Dunbar Ref BF176 C66 2007 v.1 & 2 (2 copies).
  Includes complete copies of all tests.
  
  
• Commissioned Reviews of 250 Psychological Tests. Dunbar Ref BF176 C65 2000 v. 1 & 2.
  
  
• Major Psychological Assessment Instruments. Dunbar Ref BF 176 M35 1996.
  
  
• Measures for Psychological Assessment: A guide to 3,000 original sources and their applications. Dunbar Ref BF698.5 C45.
  
  
• Handbook of Sexuality-Related Measures. Dunbar Ref HQ60 H36 1998.
  Includes complete copies of most measures.
  
  
• Women & Women's Issues: A Handbook of Tests and Measures. Dunbar HQ1180 B43 1979.
  
  
• ETS Test Collection Catalog. Dunbar LB3051 E79.
  
  
• Compendium of Quality of Life Instruments. Dunbar Ref RA407 C65 1998 v.1-5. CD-ROM on Reserve at the Media Desk on the second floor.
  Includes complete copies of all tests.
  
  
• Measuring Health: A Guide to Rating Scales and Questionnaires. Dunbar Ref RA408.5 M38 2006.
  Includes copies of most measures.
  
  
• Handbook of Psychiatric Measures. Dunbar Ref RC473 P78 A46 2008.
  The companion CD-ROM (available at the Media Desk) includes complete copies of some tests.
  
  
• Rating Scales in Mental Health. Dunbar Ref RC473.P78 S245 2003.
  Includes complete copies of many scales.
  
  
• Sourcebook of Adult Assessment Strategies. Dunbar Ref RC473.P78 S38 1995 .
  Includes complete copies of all tests.
  
  
• Comparative Evaluation of Rating Scales in Clinical Psychopharmacology. Dunbar Ref RC473.P78 V36 1988 .
  
  
• Instruments for use in Nursing Education Research. Dunbar Ref RT73 .C53 1989 .
  
  
• Instruments for Clinical Health-Care Research. Dunbar Ref RT81.5 .I57 2004.
  
  
• Personality Tests and Reviews, 2 vol. Dunbar Ref Z5814 P8 B94.
  
  
• Reading Tests and Reviews II. Dunbar Ref Z5814 P8 B95 1975.
  
  
• English Tests and Reviews. Dunbar Ref Z5814 P8 E6 1975.
  
  
• Foreign Language Tests and Reviews. Dunbar Ref Z5814 P8 F6 1975.
  
  
• Intelligence Tests and Reviews. Dunbar Ref Z5814 P8 I53 1975.
  
  
• Mathematics Tests and Reviews. Dunbar Ref Z5814 P8 M3 1975.
  
  
• Science Tests and Reviews. Dunbar Ref Z5814 P8 S35 1975.
  
  
• Social Studies Tests and Reviews. Dunbar Ref Z5814 P8 S6 1975.
  
  
• Vocational Tests and Reviews. Dunbar Ref Z5814 P8 V6 1975.
  
  

---

Internet Sites

• Buros Institute on Mental Measures. Provides keyword searching for tests & measurements, test reviews, and test publishers. Also contains links to other tests & measurements websites.
  
  
• ETS TestLink - an extensive database of information about standardized tests and research instruments.
  
  
• Tests and Measures in the Social Sciences - tests available in compilation volumes

---

Finding Books in the Library Catalog

Books on tests & measurements can be found under the broad LC subject heading Psychological Tests. Scroll through these entries to find specific topics. The term Psychological Tests may also be searched as a Medical Subject Heading.

---

Obtaining Copies of Tests

Published tests:
Published tests & measurements should be purchased directly from the publisher. Indexes of publishers can be found in the Mental Measurements Yearbook, Tests in Print, Test Critiques, and other sources.  Most test publishers can be found on the web.

Unpublished tests
If you are having a hard time finding a test, it is probably unpublished. An unpublished test can usually be obtained by contacting the researcher who created it.  If you plan to use an unpublished test in your own research you should first get permission from the author of the test.

A Quick Two-Part Strategy for Locating Copies of Unpublished Tests

Complete copies of many unpublished tests can be found in journal articles and in reference books known as test compilations.

1. Use TestLink to find tests in journal articles. 
   The TestLink database from Educational Testing Services (ETS) includes information on more than 25,000 tests.  If your test is included in TestLink look in the “Availability” field of the database record.  If a journal article is listed your test will be included in the journal article.
   
   
2. Use Tests and Measures in the Social Sciences to find tests in test compilations. 
   Test compilations are a great place to find complete copies of tests.  Helen Hough, from the University of Texas, has created an electronic index of tests available in test compilations.  If you find your test in a test compilation check the library catalog to see if the book is available on campus or through OhioLink borrowing.  If the compilation is not available use interlibrary loan (ILLiad) to request it. 
   
   Search hint:  When searching Tests and Measures in the Social Sciences you must enter the phrase "compilation volumes" (with the quotation marks included) next to your search terms so that you only search the resource and not the entire University of Texas website.

See the APA FAQ on psychological tests for more tips on obtaining both published and unpublished Tests & Measurements.