Finding Noncommercial / Unpublished
Full-Text Tests, Scales, and Measures
A searchable index of over 15,000 full-text tests, scales, and measures included in over 125 books and other collections. The EMU library does not own all of the books. First check the EMU Library catalog for ownership. If the EMU does not own the book, check MeLCat, and if not found there, request the book via our Interlibrary Loan service.
Suggestions for searching Tests and Measures in the Social Sciences:
- Use the RefWorks RefShare Interface
- On the RefShare top menu, select Search > Advanced
- Change the first line default search field from Descriptors to Section Title
- In first line search box, type words that reflect the variable you want to measure, e.g. fear of death; shyness
- To determine what book or collection the test is in, on the Search Results screen, click the small link on the right side of the screen above each Section Title that says View
A searchable index of full-text tests, scales, and measures found in 1) books in the San Diego State University library’s collection; and 2) commercially published journal articles
- The EMU library does not own all of the books. First check the EMU Library catalog for ownership. If the EMU does not own the book, check MeLCat, and if not found there, request the book via our Interlibrary Loan service
- The EMU library does not own all the indexed journals. First do a search using the Find Journals and Other Periodicals form to determine whether the EMU library has immediate electronic access to the journal or whether we own the journal in print or microformat. If the EMU library does not own the journal, request a copy of the article via our Interlibrary Loan service
Using EMU Databases to Find Published Articles that Include Noncommercial Tests, Scales, Measures
- PsycINFO
- In the first search box on the first line type appended
- At the end of the first line, change the default search field menu from Keywords,KW= to Tests and Measures, TM=
- At the end of the second line, change the default search field menu from Keywords,KW= to Tests and Measures, TM=
- In the first search box on the second line type the word or phrase for the attribute you want to measure, e.g. depression, anxiety, eating disorders. You can use the truncation symbol, *, so that typing phobi* will retrieve phobia, phobias, phobic.
- NOTE: Sometimes multiple tests are used in a study and the test that is published in the study does not happen to measure the attribute you are interested in. For example, you might want a measure of social anxiety, but come across an article whose Tests and Measures field says:
Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents; Performance Rating Questionnaire [Appended]
This means that only the Performance Rating Questionnaire is included in the article and not the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents.
- CINAHL
- Scroll down the search page looking for the search limit menu for Publication Type. Hold down the Ctrl-Key and select Questionnaire/Scale and Research Instrument
- Scroll back to the top of the page and in the first search box type the word or phrase for the attribute you want to measure, e.g. depression, anxiety, eating disorders. You can use the truncation symbol, *, so that typing phobi* will retrieve phobia, phobias, phobic.
- NOTE: Sometimes only sample items are included are included in the article and not the complete test or scale.
- ERIC
- Scroll down the search page looking for the search limit menu for Publication Type. Type in the search box Tests
- Scroll back to the top of the page and in the first search box type the word or phrase for the attribute you want to measure, e.g. depression, anxiety, eating disorders. You can use the truncation symbol, *, so that typing phobi* will retrieve phobia, phobias, phobic.
- NOTE: Sometimes the published test or scale does not measure the attribute you are interested in but rather another characteristic discussed in the article.
Using Dissertations and Theses Full Text Database to Find Noncommercial Tests, Scales, Measures
The Dissertations and Theses Full Text (ProQuest) database includes the full text of over 1 million doctoral dissertations and master’s theses. Many researchers use or create noncommercial tests and scales to measure the attributes they are studying, and, when possible, they include the full texts of these scales in the Appendix of their publication. One strategy to search for dissertations or theses that might contain noncommercial tests/scales:
- In the first search box on the advanced search screen type the word or phrase for the attribute you want to measure, e.g. depression, anxiety, eating disorders. You can use the truncation symbol, *, so that typing phobi* will retrieve phobia, phobias, phobic.
- At the end of the first search line change the default search field from ‘Citation and Abstract’ to Document Title. [While you could leave the default search field, this strategy of searching just the title tries to insure that the dissertation/thesis focuses on the attribute you are interested in. Should you get no results when you limit the search to the Document Title, you might rerun the search using the default Citation and Abstract fields.]
- A few lines down the Advanced Search screen look for a line beginning ‘Limit results to:’ and place a check next to ‘Full text documents only’.
Includes links to a number of free mental health related scales
Directory of Unpublished Experimental Mental Measures (Vols. 1-9), 1974-2008. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association
EMU Reference Collection BF431 .G625
Identifies noncommercial tests, scales, and measures used in research studies published in about 30 psychology journals. A subject index lets you search for attributes you want to measure. Volume 8 includes a cumulative subject index that covers the first eight volumes. The index in volume 9 only includes that volume.
- NOTE: Most of the articles do NOT actually include the full-text of the test or measure. You would need to communicate with the author of the article to ask for the test and permission to use it in your research.
Keith Stanger
Eastern Michigan University Library
keith@stanger.com
http://keithstanger.com/
December 14, 2009