The purpose of this guide is to help you to locate measurement tools to be used in your research. These tools may be in the form of tests, instruments, questionnaires, surveys, interview schedules, checklists, and more. The guide contains (A) links to databases that contain measurement resources (tests, instruments, etc.) and (B) tips on finding how to search the databases to locate the measurement tools that fit your need.
The different databases in this guide have different kinds of information available. In general, they contain information about the measurement tools but do not necessarily provide the tool for you. See Permission to Use a Test and Access to Tests & Instruments below.
Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) and Education Testing Services (ETS) contain information about the tools such as test name, publisher, author, and purpose. MMY often provides test reviews. Health & Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI) provides information related to resources where the test was used, such as in a journal article that utilized an instrument.
There are two main pathways for finding a test or instrument.
- You want to find a known instrument and/or reviews of a known instrument. In this case you should have, minimally, the title and/or author of the instrument.
- You want to find an instrument that will help you to measure a variable or phenomena in your area of interest. In this case you do not have a specific instrument in mind and want to see what is available.
Known Instruments
Utilizing an existing measurement tool or strategy is advantageous for two reasons. First, it strengthens the reliability, validity, and potential to generalize your findings since they can be compared to other studies. Second, creating a new instrument or test takes time and potentially increases the expenses and timeframe for your research.
Test Characteristics to Consider
- Validity
- Reliability
- Previous Use in Relevant Populations
- Readability/Language
- Length/Ease of Use
- Cost
Permission to Use a Test
As a researcher who may potentially publish your findings, you are responsible for ensuring that you have permission to use a test in your research. You will need to contact the author or publisher, identifying yourself and your affiliation, and explaining how you plan to use the test. While some tests may be used with permission at no charge, most educational and psychological tests must be purchased directly from the publisher--this is so the publisher can determine if the purchaser is qualified and competent to administer and interpret the test.
Access to Tests & Instruments
Some of the instruments and other resources you want to use are freely available. However, many are not free. The library provides access to the databases needed to search for and find tests & instruments, but it does not have funds available to purchase individual resources for student or faculty research.
