Finding Test Reviews
Sometimes you will need to find a review of an instrument or a test of its reliability and validity. Here's how you can look for articles with that content in our databases.
Finding Reviews in CINAHL
The key phrase for finding articles about test validity and reliability in CINAHL is "instrument validation." Type that along with the title of the instrument into the search box to see the articles CINAHL has on the topic. Don't forget the quotation marks!
Finding Reviews in PsycINFO
PsycINFO uses subject headings to organize and classify the articles in its database. There are subject headings for both "test validity" and "test reliability." We'll start by doing searches for those.
2. If you see your term matches a subject heading on the next screen, click the Continue button.
3. Repeat these steps for "test reliability."
Now, let's combine those two searches using OR, which will let us see all of the articles that have either of those subject headings.
4. Check the boxes next to both subject headings and then click the OR button.
Next we need to add the title of the instrument to the search. Sometimes an inventory or instrument will have a subject heading attached to it and sometimes not. If it has a subject heading, follow the same procedure as you did for "test validity."
Here's an example of a search where there is not a matching subject heading for the test. In this case, I searched for the "Metronome Response Task."
5. For this you will need to use the last option to "Search as Keyword" and click Continue.
Now you have all of the elements of your search.
6. Now combine your instrument title search with your "test validity OR test reliability" search using the AND button.
7. Click the Display Results link to see which articles match your search.
