Resources by format

Here are listed guides for finding materials based on their formats.

Tests and measures can include any type of instruments (quantitative or qualitative) that can be used in research. We have multiple search tools, databases, books, and reference materials that can aid you in finding the best instrument for your research.

Terms that can be used to search for tests and measures

Survey
Inventory
Questionnaire
Testing instrument
Evaluation methods
Data collection
Research
Investigations

Virginia Tech offers a lot of options to find tests and measures. Books, databases, and reference tools being the most common and useful places to look. Materials are kept up to date. Materials that we don't have can be obtained through ILLiad. Dissertations are also a great place to look for copies of various tests and instruments. Note that most tests and measurements are owned (copyrighted) by various companies and groups.

Not all tests, inventories, measurements, surveys, and questionnaires are available for free. Some you do have to pay for. But if you contact the providers of the instruments, and let them know that you are a student, they might be willing to let you have a copy for free. This is something that the library will not do for you, but a recommendation to you, the researcher/

Test databases

Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print from EBSCOhost
Descriptive information and critical reviews of new and revised tests from the Buros Institute's 1st-20th Yearbooks. Covers commercially-available tests in categories such as personality, developmental, behavioral assessment, neuropsychological, achievement, intelligence and aptitude, educational, and speech & hearing. Contains descriptive info (test purpose, publisher, pricing) and edited reviews written by leading area experts. Does not contain the actual tests, though links may be provided.

Produced by the Buros Institute at the University of Nebraska, the Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) provides users with a comprehensive guide to over 2,700 contemporary testing instruments. 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, but not the actual tests, though links to sources of a test may be provided. To be included in the MMY, a test must be commercially available, be published in the English language, and be new or revised since it last appeared in the series.

Also produced by the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements at the University of Nebraska, Tests in Print (TIP) serves as a comprehensive bibliography to all known commercially available tests that are currently in print in the English language. TIP provides vital information to users including test purpose, test publisher, in-print status, price, test acronym, intended test population, administration times, publication date(s), and test author(s).
TestLink
ETS TestLink is a database of more than 25,000 tests and other measurement devices.
PsycTESTS from EBSCOhost
- This link opens in a new window
PsycTESTS indexes psychological tests, with the full text of the test available in most cases. Test instruments available in HTML and PDF.
ERIC from EBSCOhost
ERIC indexes citations, abstracts, and full text from journal articles, conference and meeting papers, government documents, theses and dissertations, reports, A/V materials, books, and more on all aspects of education. Many documents are available in full text (HTML and PDF). You can limit to peer-reviewed sources for documents published since 2004. 1966-present.
SAGE Research Methods Online
- This link opens in a new window
Many of the SAGE handbooks will include testing instruments as part of the overview of research methods.

The Methods Map is an exciting and innovative visualization tool that can be used to discover relationships between methods, to discover new methods and to find content related to them. Underpinning the Methods Map is a new taxonomy of social science research methods, developed by SAGE, and containing over 1,400 unique terms.

The Methods Lists are lists of content within the product that our users have selected and want to share through this product. You can create your own lists, either for private use, or to share with others on the site.

The Little Green Books are our famous series, Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences. This entire series is available on SAGE Research Methods, with additional tools across the site to filter your search on just these titles.

Subject specific databases

Education Research Complete from EBSCOhost
- This link opens in a new window
Search for instrument needed as well as the area of study. Articles where the instruments have been used will be given. Sometimes there are copies of the instruments.

The database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 2,100 journals, as well as full text for nearly 1,300 journals. This database also includes full text for nearly 550 books and monographs, full text for numerous education-related conference papers, plus author profiles for the most prolific authors in the field.
PsycINFO from EBSCOhost
- This link opens in a new window
Search for instrument needed as well as area of study. Use limiting options such as Publication Type, Classification Codes, Document Type, and Methodology.
Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection from EBSCOhost
- This link opens in a new window
Search for instrument needed as well as area of study. The Subject browse link at the top of the search screen could be useful for location test instruments.
PsycARTICLES from EBSCOhost
- This link opens in a new window
Allows full text searching of included articles, so search for instrument name.