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Tests and Measures: Obtaining Copies of Tests and Measures

Obtaining Copies of Tests and Measurements

Tests and measures are found in two different forms: published and unpublished. Published tests and measures like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) are by far the most well-known and the most sought after. Getting a hold of these will mean contacting the publisher and paying money to obtain an actual copy of the item you want.

Unpublished tests and measures are often developed as part of doing research and can sometimes be found as part of an article or an appendix to a dissertation. Finding an unpublished test is often difficult if not impossible and requires using a wide range of resources.

If you are not sure whether a test you have in mind is published or not, start with using the resources for published tests and measures before moving on to resources for unpublished.

Unpublished Tests and Measures

Unpublished tests are often found as an appendix to a scholarly article or as part of a compilation. Though they may be freely available this does not leave the user without certain responsibilities, particularly in the area of copyright. The University Committee on Copyright provides more information on policies and guidelines on their website. For anyone thinking of using an unpublished test or measurement the American Psychological Association warns:

"Users of unpublished tests have certain ethical responsibilities. Users must (a) contact the test author and request permission to use their test, and (b) secure their permission in writing if the material is copyright."

That being said here are a few key resources for locating unpublished copies of tests and measurements. The order in which they appear is a rough guide for a search strategy:

Published Tests and Measures

Published tests usually require that you pay the publisher some amount in order to get copies of the test. Occasionally you can find published tests in a compilation volume or as an appendix to an article. More likely however is that you will have to find the publisher's contact information so that you know who to send a check to. Resources for doing all of these tasks are provided below.

Additional Resources

Provided here are a sampling of test and measurement compilation resources found in UNC's collection. The library catalog may help you find even more.