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Tests, Measurements, Scales, Surveys, and Questionnaires

About This Guide

Looking for tests, measurements, or instruments? This guide will help you get started. 

If you are looking for validated tests or measures on a certain topic but do not have a specific instrument in mind, begin in the PsycTESTS database. PsycTESTS is research database that provides descriptive information about tests, measures, scales, surveys and other assessments, as well as limited full text access to some tests.

Generally, instruments need to be purchased from the author or publisher. The Behavioral Measurement Database Service, producers of the HaPI (Health and Psychosocial Instruments) database will provide, for a fee, selected tests cited in their database.

If you are looking for information about a specific test or measure, or if your PsycTESTS search returns limited results, read on for additional resources. If you would like help from library staff with your search, Ask Us! 

Locating Articles About Specific Tests

lf you are searching for a specific test or measure, you can always search for the name of that test in the keywords field in any database, but a few databases have built in features to help you quickly find articles that use or are about your test of interest.

CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)

To locate articles discussing a test:

  • Uncheck the "Suggest Subject Terms" box.
  • Select IN Instrumentation from the "Select a Field" drop-down, and enter the name of the instrument in the search box.
  • e.g. beck depression inventory

 

ERIC (Education Resource Information Center)

To locate articles discussing a test:

  • Select TX All Text from the "Select a Field" drop-down, and enter the name of the instrument in the search box using quotation marks.
  • e.g. "beck depression inventory"

 

PsycINFO

To locate articles discussing a test:

  • Click Search Fields and check the box to search the Tests & Measures field.
  • Enter the name of the test in the search box. 
  • e.g. beck

Alternatively:

  • Click to expand Limits, then click Edit Limits.
  • Check the Tests & Measures box, then click Customize Limits.
  • Check the Tests & Measures box, then enter your search term in the search box. 
  • This limits to the names of tests and measurements referred to or used in the source material study.

Finding Tests or Measures Related to a Particular Topic

As mentioned above, we recommend starting in PsycTESTS to find tests and measures on a given topic. If that yields few results, you can search PubMed or another biomedical database. Try combining keywords or subject headings related to tests and measures with keywords related to your construct/topic of interest. 

Keywords Related to Tests/Measures

test* OR measure* OR survey* OR questionnaire* OR scale* OR battery OR inventory OR checklist* OR instrument* OR pretest* OR posttest* 

Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) Terms Related to Tests/Measures

These terms may be used in PubMed articles about tests/measures.