Tests and Measures: Identifying a Test or Measure

If you have a topic in mind and need to find a test that meets your criteria, identifying a relevant test will be the first step. 

Commercially Published vs. Unpublished Tests

A published test comes from a commercial publisher. The publisher usually charges a fee and may restrict usage.

An unpublished test was developed by researchers and is not available through a commercial publisher. Just because a test is considered "unpublished," that doesn't mean it isn't available. Many unpublished tests are included in publications like journal articles and book chapters. Locating unpublished tests can be very tricky, however. 

Test Reviews

Test reviews are usually written for published tests. They typically include a brief descriptions of the test to give potential users some important background, and may even provide sample questions. Other information that typically accompanies reviews includes: contact information for the publisher, validity and reliability, scoring, purpose, intended population, pricing, and administration.

Some books listed in the UNC catalog are large compilation texts that contain reviews various tests. 

The databases listed here will help you find information about psychological tests and measures. 

PsycTests

PsycTests contains tens of thousands of tests and measures, primarily unpublished. Many tests are available as full text PDFs. When full text is not available, contact info for the publishing company is provided where possible.

PsycTests has a variety of unique fields to help you identify and locate tests. On the Advanced Search page, scroll down to see these options.

• Methodology: types of validity, reliability, and factor analysis.
• Administration: how the test can be administered.
• Commercially available: whether the test is available from a commercial publisher.
• Fee: whether a test is free or only available at a cost.
• Instrument type: specific methods used in the test.
• Permissions: indicates if the test is available for use without permission, if you must contact the author or publisher for permission, or if you must contact both the author and publisher for permission.
• APA PsycTests Classification: a simple way of browsing tests based on a broad subject area.

ERIC

You can search for articles that discuss specific tests by using the "Assessment and Survey Identifiers" field in ERIC. If you know the name of a test you want to learn about, you can search for the specific test name and select that field filter from the dropdown menu.

If you have a research topic and want to find a relevant test, start with a very broad keyword and select the field from the dropdown menu. You will see a list of results that discuss assessments related to your topic. To see the exact tests discussed in each reference, click on the reference and scroll down to the "Assessment and Survey Identifiers" heading. 

More information on ERIC Identifiers is available here.

CINAHL

You can search for articles that discuss specific tests by using the "Instrumentation" field in CINAHL. If you know the name of a test you want to learn about, you can search for the specific test name and select that field filter from the dropdown menu.

If you have a research topic and want to find a relevant test, start with a very broad keyword and select the field from the dropdown menu. You will see a list of results that discuss assessments related to your topic. To see the exact tests discussed in each reference, click on the reference and scroll down to the "Instrumentation" heading. 

PsycInfo

You can search for articles that discuss specific tests by using the "Tests & Measures" field in PsycInfo. If you know the name of a test you want to learn about, you can search for the specific test name and select that field filter from the dropdown menu.

If you have a research topic and want to find a relevant test, start with a very broad keyword and select the field from the dropdown menu. You will see a list of results that discuss assessments related to your topic. To see the exact tests discussed in each reference, click on the reference and scroll down to the "Tests & Measures" heading. 

There are many test review volumes available and the UNC library catalog can be a great way to find them. These works are typically devoted to a particular area (i.e. education or psychology) or have an even narrower focus (i.e. special education). Useful search terms include your particular area of interest (i.e. "psychology" or "academic achievement") and "tests" or "measures" or "measurements" or "assessement." A sample of these kinds of resources are listed below.