Looking for scales, instruments and measures on the web can often be more time consuming than
fruitful. The majority of sites that cover this topic will provide descriptive material, but will
not give you direct access to the actual assessment tool. The sites listed here provide a good
place to start when you are gathering information.
American Psychological Association
The APA responds to a large number of testing questions each day. Responses are included on
their website in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section. They also have an area that highlights
ongoing activities of staff and APA members who are involved in facilitating good test use. APA's
testing office does not maintain, sell, or endorse any tests. They do direct the public to
available resources. If you can't find what you need on APA's website, you can contact the Science
Directorate at (202) 336-6000 or via e-mail at
science@apa.org.
The Buros Institute of Mental Measurements
Founded in 1939, the Buros Institute promotes appropriate test selection, utilization, and
practice and works to encourage improved test development and research. The titles published by the
Buros Institute are focused on providing consumers and other test users with accurate evaluations
of the usefulness and effectiveness of commercially available tests. Their website includes
information on how to effectively use their publications and provides links to other organizations
involved in assessment issues. It also provides a link to their Test Locator, jointly developed
with the Educational Testing Service. The Locator provides descriptions and availability
information on over 10,000 tests.
Educational Testing Service
The ETS web site focuses almost exclusively on educational testing. The
Tests &
Services Directory offers information on test preparation, administration, and
appropriate usage. ETS also houses the
ETS Test Collection, a database that allows
you to access information on more than 20,000 published and unpublished tests and measures. (Last
updated February 27, 2004.)
Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HAPI)
Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HAPI) is an online resource for locating information on
measurement instruments. It is available online thru the
Case Research Databases option in the
Library Catalog. This database allows you to search by author, title of the scale, and acronyms for
the scale. You can also do a descriptor search by typing terms that relate to your research topic
(self esteem, coping, locus of control, etc.). HAPI provides information on the author, year of
publication, original source of the scale, number of questions, and an abstract describing the
context in which the instrument is used. When available, the reliability measures are also
provided.
You will not get the actual scale or assessment tool when you use this database. You may,
however, get references for journal articles or books where the instrument might appear in print
form.
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