Psychological Tests & Measures: A Guide to Finding them: Finding the Formatted Measure

• PsycTests
• Primary Journal Article
• Author's Website
• A Study Using the Measure
• Google
• A Dissertation using the Measure
• Emailing the Author

You may have found the primary article - but what if it doesn't actually show the measure in a form that you could administer to your test group?

OPTION ONE ~ Using PsycTests

Though you can't get the primary article in PsycTests, you can sometimes get the actual measure there.  Call up your measure in PsycTests again, and see if the Full Text is attached.  If so, then you've got it.  Note: For Likert Scales, PsycTests will give the admin instructions, and then just list the items.  You will still need to do some formatting to set it up for your group.  Use the primary article to tell exactly how the Likert Scale questions are formatted.  For Example, is it Strongly Agree, Agree...  Or is it Always, Sometimes, Rarely...  etc.

OPTION TWO ~ Using the Primary Article

While the Primary Article may not have an actual formatted sheet that could be handed to a subject, it usually gives the actual questions and the info on what kind of scale is used.  So, you just need to type the info out or put it in a Google form, etc.

OPTION THREE ~ Author's Website

Sometimes the primary article does not actually give you the questions, it only gives you the answers or the results, and you are not sure exactly how the questions are to be worded.  In this case you need to try to find it another way.  One way is to find if the author has a website at his institution, and see if the actual scale is available there.  Here are the steps for that :

1. Note the primary author's name and institution and department or title from the primary article
2. Google the name of the institution
3. Click on the Academics link at that institution's website
4. Find the list of Departments (Avoid going through programs or links for prospective students).  Note often this is under the School - which will almost always be the School of Arts & Sciences
5. When you are at the Department's website - look for the Faculty or People link - this is only at the department website, not at the institution level
6. This will give a list of faculty, find yours
7. If the faculty member is there - often their name will be hotlinked to their webpage.  If so, go there and see if you can find the article.

OPTION FOUR ~ A Study Using the Measure

When the primary article does not include enough information for you to recreate the measure, try to find another study that uses it, and see if they do.  Follow these steps to find another study

1. Copy the title of the measure onto your clipboard (Ctrl-C) NOTE: If your measure uses an acronym, start with that instead
2. Open PsycInfo if you don't have it open
3. Paste the title in quotation marks or the acronym into the search box - LEAVE the search box type to "Select a Field" 
4. LIMIT your search to Linked Full Text Only
5. Search
6. Pick an article that comes up, read the abstract to make sure it does discuss your measure
7. Click on the Linked full text.
8. Scroll through the article, including any appendicies to see if you measure is described enough for you to create a form.

OPTION FIVE ~ Google It

Google it and see if you can find it ~ Sometimes this works. 

OPTION SIX ~ Find a Dissertation that uses it

Do not attempt this option on your own, but see me and let me know what you have tried.  I will then see if there is a dissertation we can purchase that will have it as an appendix

OPTION SEVEN ~ Emailing the Author

You can usually get the main author's email from the PsycInfo record on the primary article.  If not, find it using the website option listed above.

Use that to email the author - Tips for successful emails : 

• Be VERY Brief
• Address them as Dr. + last name always.
• Request - don't Demand
• Explain, briefly how you are using it (you are a student, in a course,)
• Offer to send the author your results if he/she is interested.