Introduction
Find reviews of tests & measurements
     Additional resources
Find tests & measurements on a particular topic
Get copies of tests & measurements
     Published
     Unpublished
     Additional resources
Other guides to finding tests & measurements

Introduction

This guide is designed to help people get started in finding reviews of tests, finding tests that might suit a particular need (i.e. tests for badminton skills, tests for reading comprehension), and obtaining actual copies of tests. Each of these aspects of tests and measurements research is described below.

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Find reviews of tests & measurements

Test reviews are usually written for published tests and often (but not always) include brief descriptions of tests and measurements to give potential users some important background. Other information that typically accompanies test and measurement reviews include contact information for the publisher, validity and reliability, scoring, purpose, intended population, pricing, administration, and so on. The following sources should be consulted when looking for reviews of particular tests. The order in which they appear is a rough guide to how a search might be constructed.

Mental Measurements Yearbook
Produced by the Buros Institute at the University of Nebraska, the Mental Measurements Yearbook^TM (MMY) provides users with a comprehensive guide to over 2,000 contemporary testing instruments. Designed for an audience ranging from novice test consumers to experienced professionals, the MMY series contains information essential for a complete evaluation of test products within such diverse areas as psychology, education, business, and leadership. All MMY entries contain descriptive information (e.g., test purpose, publisher, pricing) and edited review(s) written by leading content area experts.

Print editions of Mental Measurements Yearbook, 1938 to date, are held in Davis Reference, Z5814.P8 B932 and print editions, 1973 to date, also are held in Health Science Library Reference, BF431 .M549. Tests in Print, also located in Davis Reference (Z5814.E9 T47), gives basic information on a large number of commercially available tests. The latest edition of Tests in Print also serves as an index to the tests covered in the Mental Measurements Yearbooks.

Test Critiques
Another fine source for reviews and references on a particular test or measure. This work provides a brief introduction to each test as well as information on its application, technical aspects, and finally, a critique. Entries are accompanied by a lengthy list of references. These books are organized alphabetically by test title and are indexed by title, publisher, author/reviews, and subject. User friendly, easy to understand, and updated annually.

Location:  Davis Library Reference                 Call Number:  BF176 .T419
Location:  Health Sciences Library Reference   Call Number:  BF 176 .T3451

Tests
This work aims to provide users with concise descriptions and basic information (no reviews) of assessment instruments in psychology, education, and business. Population, purpose, format, scoring, publisher, author, and cost information are provided for each entry. Also provided are indices of publishers, authors, and test titles. The book is organized by subject (i.e. motor skills, academic aptitude, etc.)

Location:  Davis Library Reference                 Call Number:  BF176 .T43

Journal articles are often another good way to get reviews and information on tests and measurements. The databases listed here are some of the more useful resources for finding this type of information.

UNC-Chapel Hill Catalog
In addition to the resources above there are many other test review volumes available and the catalog can be a great way to find them. These works are typically devoted to a particular area (i.e. education or psychology) or have an even narrower focus (i.e. special education). Useful search terms include your particular area of interest (i.e. "psychology" or "academic achievement") and "tests" or "measures" or "measurements" or "assessement." For a sample of these kinds of resources see Additional Test & Measurement Review Resources.

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Additional resources for finding reviews of tests & measurements

Provided here are a sampling of test review resources found in UNC's collection. The library catalog may help you find even more.

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Find tests & measurements on a topic

If you have a particular topic in mind but aren't sure what tests and measures have been developed for it, the following resources may be of help:

Mental Measurements Yearbook
Produced by the Buros Institute at the University of Nebraska, the Mental Measurements Yearbook^TM (MMY) provides users with a comprehensive guide to over 2,000 contemporary testing instruments. Designed for an audience ranging from novice test consumers to experienced professionals, the MMY series contains information essential for a complete evaluation of test products within such diverse areas as psychology, education, business, and leadership. All MMY entries contain descriptive information (e.g., test purpose, publisher, pricing) and edited review(s) written by leading content area experts.

Print editions of Mental Measurements Yearbook, 1938 to date, are held in Davis Reference, Z5814.P8 B932 and print editions, 1973 to date, also are held in Health Science Library Reference, BF431 .M549. Tests in Print, also located in Davis Reference (Z5814.E9 T47), gives basic information on a large number of commercially available tests. The latest edition of Tests in Print also serves as an index to the tests covered in the Mental Measurements Yearbooks.

Test Critiques
Another fine source for reviews and references on a particular test or measure. This work provides a brief introduction to each test as well as information on its application, technical aspects, and finally, a critique. Entries are accompanied by a lengthy list of references. These books are organized alphabetically by test title but a subject index is included for those looking to find a test on a particular topic. User friendly, easy to understand, and updated annually.

Location:  Davis Library Reference                 Call Number:  BF176 .T419
Location:  Health Sciences Library Reference   Call Number:  BF 176 .T3451

Tests
Organized by subject, this work aims to provide users with concise descriptions and basic information (no reviews) of assessment instruments in psychology, education, and business. Population, purpose, format, scoring, publisher, author, and cost information are provided for each entry. Also provided are indices of publishers, authors, and test titles.

Location:  Davis Library Reference                 Call Number:  BF176 .T43

Databases can also be a potential way of looking into what kinds of tests and measures, published and unpublished, have been developed.

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Get copies of tests & measurements

Tests and measures are found in two different forms: published and unpublished. Published tests and measures like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) are by far the most well-known and the most sought after. Getting a hold of these will mean contacting the publisher and paying money to obtain an actual copy of the item you want.

Unpublished tests and measures are often developed as part of doing research and can sometimes be found as part of an article or an appendix to a dissertation. Finding an unpublished test is often difficult if not impossible and requires using a wide range of resources.

If you are not sure whether a test you have in mind is published or not start with using the resources for published tests and measures before moving on to resources for unpublished.

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Get copies of published tests & measurements

Published tests usually require that you pay the publisher some amount in order to get copies of the test. Occasionally you can find published tests in a compilation volume or as an appendix to an article. More likely however is that you will have to find the publisher's contact information so that you know who to send a check to. Resources for doing all of these tasks are provided below.

Mental Measurements Yearbook
Produced by the Buros Institute at the University of Nebraska, the Mental Measurements Yearbook^TM (MMY) contains basic information on how to contact the publisher of a particular test.

Print editions of Mental Measurements Yearbook, 1938 to date, are held in Davis Reference, Z5814.P8 B932 and print editions, 1973 to date, also are held in Health Science Library Reference, BF431 .M549. Tests in Print, also located in Davis Reference (Z5814.E9 T47), gives basic information on a large number of commercially available tests. The latest edition of Tests in Print also serves as an index to the tests covered in the Mental Measurements Yearbooks.

Tests and Measures in the Social Sciences: Tests available in compilation volumes.
Check this site to see if the test you want may be part of a compilation volume. This handy website from the University of Texas, Arlington, lists all the tests and measures available in 116 compilation volumes (and counting). As of this writing this includes 10,800 measures. Among the volumes included are 1263 measures of the Tests in Microfiche series by ETS (see below). Using the search feature here for the Tests in Microfiche series can be much faster than using the print index. For any volume that looks promising to you, check the UNC catalog to make sure we have it. Includes both published and unpublished tests and measurements.

Educational Testing Service (ETS) - TestLink
Offers a Test on Demand service as well as contact information for publishers.

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Get copies of unpublished tests & measurements

Unpublished tests are often found as an appendix to a scholarly article or as part of a compilation. Though they may be freely available this does not leave the user without certain responsibilities, particularly in the area of copyright. The University Committee on Copyright provides more information on policies and guidelines on their website: www.lib.unc.edu/copyright/. For anyone thinking of using an unpublished test or measurement the American Psychological Association warns:

"Users of unpublished tests have certain ethical responsibilities. Users must (a) contact the test author and request permission to use their test, and (b) secure their permission in writing if the material is copyright."

That being said here are a few key resources for locating unpublished copies of tests and measurements. The order in which they appear is a rough guide for a search strategy:

Tests and Measures in the Social Sciences: Tests available in compilation volumes.
This handy website from the University of Texas, Arlington, lists all the tests and measures available in 116 compilation volumes (and counting). As of this writing this includes 10,800 measures. Among the volumes included are 1263 measures of the Tests in Microfiche series by ETS (see below). Using the search feature here for the Tests in Microfiche series can be much faster than using the print index. For any volume that looks promising to you, check the UNC catalog to make sure we have it. Includes both published and unpublished tests and measurements.

UNC Library Catalog
Not every compilation of tests and measures is listed in Tests and Measures in the Social Sciences website (see above). Searching the UNC catalog may turn up an appropriate volume for you. Useful search terms include "tests," "measures," "measurements," "instrument(s)," and "assessment(s)." Additional Test & Measurements Compilation Volumes below lists a few resources found in the catalog and not (to date) covered elsewhere.

Tests in Microfiche
Published annually by the Educational Testing Service, this set of unpublished tests and measures currently numbers over 1200. An index is available for each set (currently A-DD) and a cumulative index is available for series A-X but the quickest means of finding the test you want may be to consult Tests and Measures in the Social Sciences: Tests available in compilation volumes. This series can be found in the Microforms area in Davis Library under the call number: Serial 1-215

Databases
Check these resources to see if an unpublished test was included as part of an scholarly article. Subject area coverage of each database is indicated in the description field.

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Additional resources for obtaining copies of tests & measurements

Provided here are a sampling of test and measurement compilation resources found in UNC's collection. The library catalog may help you find even more.

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Other guides to finding tests & measurements

Links to Various Libraries' Tests and Measures FAQs
This downloadable document is a thorough listing of other test & measurement subject guides done by other universities and professional organizations. It is provided by the University of Texas at Arlington.

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For more assistance,
Please contact Angela Bardeen, Social Sciences Reference Librarian
bardeen@email.unc.edu
(919) 962-1151

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