Research Guides: Tests and Measures: Overview

Background Information

Buros Center for Testing
Provides critical appraisals of tests and descriptive information and assessment literacy tools; the glossaries and professional standards and codes can be particularly helpful.
Social and Emotional Learning Assessment Technical Guidebook
Helpful guide for this hot topic.

Finding an Instrument That Measures X, Y or Z

Databases

A-Z Databases
Search the literature from relevant fields to find instruments other researchers have used using databases available through SMU Libraries (PsycINFO, SocINDEX with Full Text, ERIC, etc.). PsycINFO allows searching by instrument. Find several uses of an instrument to compare their interpretation by several researchers.

Books

Consult books about tests in specialized areas. Search the library catalog by subject (i.e., addiction, depression, marriage and family counseling, school counseling, etc.). The following books in Fondren Library include tests, scales, questionnaires and surveys.

Test Critiques by Daniel J. Keyser (Editor); Richard C. Sweetland (Editor)
Publication Date: 1984
Use the categorized listing by broad subject areas in the back of the last volume.
Encyclopedia of Psychological Assessment by Rocio Fernandez-Ballesteros (Editor)
Publication Date: 2003
A landmark reference work and a definitive resource for academics, practitioners and students working in any field of applied psychological science.
Tests by Taddy Maddox (Editor)
Publication Date: 2003
Includes more than 2,000 assessment instruments for psychology, education, and business.

Find Reviews of Tests with Mental Measurements Yearbook

Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print This link opens in a new window
Offers evaluations of the latest assessments in education, psychology, business, law, healthcare, counseling, and management.

How to Find Reviews in MMY

If you know the title of the test, enter the title into the search box.
Browsing the indexes are helpful for finding tests by acronym, publisher, author, a particular type of score, etc. Test categories list tests by 36 functional descriptors. See picture below.