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Finding Tests and Other Instruments

This guide provides advice on finding tests and other instruments in various resources from the library and on the Internet.

Validity and reliability of tests and measures

When selecting a test for research, two important concepts are:

• Validity: extent to which a test measures what it was designed to measure*

• Reliability: consistency, dependability, and reproducibility of test scores*

The resources on this page will help you learn more about these concepts and how they relate to individual tests and measures.

Selecting and evaluating measures

Selecting measures for research investigations
A chapter from the book, Methodological issues and strategies in clinical research, edited by Alan E. Kazdin. Washington, DC: American Psychological Assoc., 2016.

Websites about validity and reliability

Chapter 3: Understanding test quality—concepts of reliability and validity (HR-Guide.com)
Includes information on how to interpret reliability and validity information from test manuals and reviews.
Chapter 7.3 Test validity and reliability (Christopher L. Heffner)
Part of an online research methods text, this chapter has a good discussion of the various types of validity and reliability.