Journal articles, dissertations, and other research publications provide a wealth of information about psychological assessment and its theory, methodology, and application, and information about specific tests. However, only some articles provide samples of test items and a smaller percentage provide the actual test in full.
Searching tips:
To search by a test title you know:
type the test title as a keyword search.
If the test is also known by an acronym, try that as well.
example: South Oaks Gambling Screen or SAGS
To identify tests assessing particular psychological characteristics (test title not known):
combine keywords for the characteristic(s) of interest with terms such as assess* or measur* or test*.
example: self esteem and (assess* or measur* or test*)
For tests assessing mental disorders or psychiatric conditions:
In addition to using assess* or measur* or test* you may wish to also try a second search in which you combine psychodiagnosis or diagnosis with keywords for the condition.
example: borderline personality disorder and (psychodiagnosis or diagnosis)
Databases in numerous disciplines provide access to journal articles in which researchers describe assessments or use them to measure human characteristics. The following databases are among those available from the Databases A-Z list on the Rod Library home page.
APA PsycInfo (EBSCO) 1880s - present
Available from the Databases A-Z list on the Rod Library home page
Published by the American Psychological Association, this comprehensive psychology database indexes and abstracts articles from 2,500 journals in psychology and from the related disciplines of psychiatry, medicine, education, social work, law, criminology, social science, and organizational behavior. Also indexes and summarizes book chapters, books, technical reports, and dissertations. Updated weekly.
The APA recommends using the Tests & Measures field of APA PsycInfo. If a test is used in the methodology of a study or is featured as the subject of a discussion article or a literature review, the name of the test is to be listed in the Tests & Measures field. Sometimes assessments are used in studies but not mentioned in the abstract. Searching the Tests & Measures field in addition to using the search suggestions given above will increase your results.
Additional tips for searching APA PsycInfo for testing information are available online from the APA's APAPsycIInfo Search Help/Training Center and include FAQ: Finding Information about Psychological Tests at http://www.apa.org/science/programs/testing/find-tests.aspx.
APA PsycArticles (APA PsycNET) 1894 - present
Available from the Databases A-Z list on the Rod Library home page
Provides access to the full-text (with images) of articles appearing in the journals published by the American Psychological Association, the Canadian Psychological Association, and Hogrefe & Huber.
Dissertations and Theses: A&I (ProQuest) 1861-present
Available from the Databases A-Z list on the Rod Library home page
Indexes over 2 million PhD dissertations and masters theses earned at more than 1,000 North American graduate schools and several other countries. For many dissertations written since 1997, 24-page previews of the dissertations are available full text online.
ABI/INFORM Complete
Available from the Databases A-Z list on the Rod Library home page
Of particular interest to those assessing psychological traits or characteristics in industrial-organizational or work settings. Indexes business periodicals, including scholarly journals, general business magazines, trade and industry news sources, and newspapers.
ERIC (EBSCO); 1966-present
ERIC US Dept of Education (1966-present)
Available from the Databases A-Z list on the Rod Library home page
Of particular interest to those studying educational psychology topics, testing, counseling, or behavior occurring in a school or learning setting. The ERIC database indexes and abstracts articles from about 800 education journals. It also indexes and abstracts documents such as research reports, bibliographies, curricular materials, and conference papers.
Education Full Text
Available from the Databases A-Z list on the Rod Library home page
Education Index (print)
UNI Index/Abstract L 11 E27 Library has: 1929/32-1982/83
Indexes about 400 English-language periodicals, yearbooks, and monographs in education, including educational psychology. There is a substantial overlap with ERIC. However, the full-text journal-article feature and the number of journals indexed only in this database make it worthwhile for individuals seeking education research to search it in addition to ERIC.
PubMed, National Library of Medicine 1960s - present
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?otool=iauzcqlib
Indexes journal articles in medicine, psychiatry, nursing, dentistry, and the health care system.
