Counseling & Health Psychology

Tests and measures fall into two categories...

1) Published tests:

• Copyrighted tests that must be purchased directly from the publisher, and they typically require users to qualify as test administrators before purchases are approved. Published tests can be quite expensive and are not usually sold to libraries.
• Must be used and cited according to the instructions of the company or person who owns the test.  Materials from published tests cannot usually be copies or reprinted.

2) Unpublished tests:

• Not sold commercially, and can be found in a variety of places, including journal articles, dissertations and books. 
• Copyright restrictions vary among unpublished tests, so contacting the author for permission is always recommended.

 FAQ: Finding information about psychological tests

• Created by the American Psychological Association

• This compilation consists of measures that have been developed by researchers at West Virginia University.
• May be used for research or instructional purposes with no individualized permission.

The SDSU Test Finder

• Provides a deep indexing of books on tests and measures.
• Note: Many of these tests require permission from the author before use.

The ETS Test Collection Database

• A library of over 25,000 tests and other measurement devices providing information on standardized tests.
• Contains assessment instruments from the early 1900s to the present.

Journals sometimes publish articles that critique and compare testing instruments. Find them by conducting the following search on PsycARTICLES, CINAHL and/or MEDLINE PLUS

1. Open one of the above 3 databases from the MyBU A-Z List.
2. Go to Advanced Search, then:

Line 1: Type the name of the instrument

Line 2: Type: validity OR reliability