There are a number of options for finding a copy of an unpublished or non-commercially published test, including specialized databases like PsycTESTS, books, and compilation volumes. Sometimes a copy of a test can be found in a journal article or dissertation, or even on the web. Find links to resources and instructions below:
PsycTESTS provides detailed information about psychological tests and measurement instruments. Most of the entries contain the full text of the test itself. For the most part, the tests in PsycTESTS are "unpublished" tests that originally appeared in journal articles and not published commercially.
You can search PsycTESTS by keyword, by test title or author, among many other options. If you know the name of the test, enter it in the search box with quotes around the name if it is longer than one word. Change the search field to Test Name-TI.
While the majority of the entries in PsycTests include the full text of the test, not all do so. The entries also include the affiliation and address for the author(s) so you might be able to get a copy of the test by contacting the author(s).
To find measures in dissertations using the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database, type keywords related to your topic and choose "Anywhere except full text - ALL"
Next, type (test OR instrument OR measure OR questionnaire OR survey OR scale)
When searching for instruments in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, bear in mind that it works best if you know the titles of the instruments for which you are looking.
While it's indexing is extensive, it is focused mainly on finding relevant dissertation full text, not behavioral instruments. So if you don't already know what you are looking for, this is not a good database in which to 'go fishing.'
To use,
1) Enter the title of the instrument you are seeking (enclosed in quotation marks) in the search box & click the Search button to initiate your search.
2) Open the dissertation(s) full text and scroll to the table of contents
3) Locate the Appendices section
4) Locate the title reference to your instrument and note the page reference¹ (*this will be a proximate page reference due to the fact that
5) Scroll to the page and find your instrument
Note: This procedure will help you locate the instrument full text. It will not indicate the copyright status of the instrument. You will need to independently determine copyright status.
Frequently the appendices will include letters granting copyright permission by instrument copyright holders. Where they do, this information can be used to contact copyright holders to request permission for use.
Sometimes you can find a complete test in PsycINFO, but most times they just provide you with information about the test or a shortened version of the test.
Tests and Measures in the Social Sciences: Tests Available in Compilation Volumes Compiled by Helen Hough, Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Texas at Arlington, this is an index of fulltext measures in print monographs.
Two ways to search this database:
*Quick Search using the host (UT Arlington) web site-
Limit to TMdb Pages: search UTA's Web Site and include TMdb as one of your keywords. (Ex: perinatal grief TMdb)
Once a contents page has been identified, use your browser's toolbar to EDIT, then FIND a keyword on the page.
*Quick Search using the RefShare Interface-Select "Advanced Search" from the Search link in top navigation bar. In the first search field box, select "Title" from the pulldown menu. Enter your keyword or specific test title in the adjacent box. From your results list, select the "View" link on the right of each title to see details.
To ascertain if TCSPP Library holds the compilation volumes, use the library OneSearch. Please not that some compilation volumes may only be available in print. For any volumes the library does not own, use Interlibrary Loan Services to obtain the pages/ chapters needed.
Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI) provides test information and some full-text assessments for measures in health and the behavioral sciences.
Enter the name of the test in the search box and change the Field to TI Title. If you are using an acronym, change the field to AC Acronym.
Once you have run the search, some of the individual result entries will say:
You can obtain the measurement instrument at no charge from Behavioral Measurement Database Services using the listed contact information when you see this note. If there is no such note then use the MGetIt button to navigate to the full text of the article to check and see if the measurement instrument is included. Those entries that are listed as "primary source" are more likely to contain the actual test since primary sources are the original sources where the test was first mentioned.
You can search specifically for primary source documents by including the word primary in the search box and limiting the field to TC Source Code.
To obtain a measurement instrument listed in Health and Psychosocial Instruments that is not included in the article and does not indicate that it is available from Behavioral Measurement Data Services, you could try using Google or contacting the author.
According to the ETS website:
ETS Test Link is a database of more than 25,000 tests and other measurement devices, most of which were created by authors outside ETS. It makes information on standardized tests and research instruments available to researchers, graduate students and teachers.
The tests in this collection were acquired from a variety of U.S. publishers and individual test authors. Foreign tests are also included in the collection, including some from Canada, Great Britain and Australia.
Please note that many of the tests described in the collection are not freely or easily available! Once you have found a test that is of interest, check the Availability field for contact information that might be of use in accessing the test. In some cases, the Availability field will cite a publication. There is no guarantee that the publication will include the actual test but it is worth checking to see.
Patient assessment measures for use at the initial patient interview and to monitor treatment progress, thus serving to advance the use of initial symptomatic status and patient reported outcome information.
ADAI Library is located at the University of Washington and collects research and scientific literature on alcohol and other drug use from all relevant disciplines. Instruments can be found by name or acronym, developer, descriptors, and words in the abstract. Descriptive and psychometric information is provided, and some instruments are in the public domain and can be freely downloaded from the web. A list of all the instruments can also be browsed
208 full text measures across a wide range of subjects/topics, e.g., perceived susceptibility, parenting, attachment, self-efficacy, violence, trauma, and more.
Includes over 110 full-text measures of Affect, Personality, and Externalizing measure as well as measures for Alcohol, Marijuana, and more.
Hosted by National University of Ireland Galway, the site is designed to be a repository for instruments that are used to collect data from across the social sciences. Please use the site to discover instruments you can use in you own research.
