Skip to Main Content

Psychology Research Guide

Home

Articles & Databases

Find articles on psychology

Highly recommended:
Recommended:
Others to consider:

Encyclopedias

Search our online encyclopedias.

Borrowing From Other Libraries

CSUMB students, faculty and staff may use CSU+ Resource Sharing (a service integrated into OneSearch) for ordering books and media held at other CSUs as well as borrow books found using MOBAC regional catalogs or WorldCat.

Tests & Measures

Locating tests and measures by topic

There are many tests available depending on what you want to find out about a person or people.

For example, if you are looking for a diagnostic test to see if someone is depressed, there are a large number of instruments from which to choose. Some of these are the Multiscore Depression Inventory for Adolescents and Adults(MDI), the Multiscore Depression Inventory for Children (MDI-C), the North American Depression Inventories (NADI), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), etc.

The following books in our reference collection provide information about various tests and measures:

Mental Measurements Yearbook. Ref BF176.46 (multiple volumes)
Tests: A Comprehensive Reference for Assessments in Psychology, Education, and Business. Ref BF176.T43
Test Critiques. Ref BF176.T418 (multiple volumes)

Searching PsycInfo for tests

On the Advanced Search screen in PsycInfo is a field that allows for searching for tests & measures by keyword(s).

In the detailed result for a record (below the abstract) are a number of fields. One of these is the Test & Measure field, where all tests/measures/instruments used are listed.

Finding test critiques

Because there are so many tests to choose from, it is important that you be able to read reviews. The books below are a part of our collection:

Mental Measurements Yearbook. Ref BF176.46 (multiple volumes)
Test Critiques. Ref BF176.T418 (multiple volumes)
PsycInfo - for articles, try some of these keywords in combination with test names: statistical, measure, interpretation, reliability, validity.

Finding actual measurements

Tests themselves are often not available on the web for a number of reasons.

Reliability - If many people have access to the tests and see the questions, the test may become less reliable for clinicians over time.
Copyright - The test itself is the intellectual property of the test creator and/or publisher.
Credentials - Often "legitimate" tests need to be given by clinicians or professionals credentialed in giving a test. Also, if you give a test as a part of your education, you need to seek permission to perform any type of human subjects research.

The quickest way to find out where to purchase is by looking in one of our reference books called Tests in Print (Ref BF176.B96) or by searching the web for the publisher website.

Citing your Sources

APA Style Guide

APA (American Psychological Association) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(CSUMB Reference Collection REF BF 76.7 .P82 2010)

APA Style (APA Manual's website)

APA Formatting and Style Guide (Purdue University Online Writing Lab)

APA: Citing your sources in an oral presentation (CSUMB)

Reference Examples

APA Reference Examples (7th edition)

 

Citing a journal article

Here is one example of how to cite an article in a journal:
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy
Ryan, C. (2003). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth: Health Concerns, Services, and Care. Clinical Research & Regulatory Affairs, 20(2), 137. https://doi.org/10.1081/CRP-120021078

 

Citing a website page

Here is one example of how to cite an online newspaper article with a personal author:
Lastname, F. M. (Year, Month Date). Title of page. Site name. URL
Simpson, M.R. (2015, February 1). Reproductive justice matters. Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/monica-raye-simpson/reproductive-justice-matters_b_6582766.html
 
Here is one example of how to cite a website page with a corporate/organizational author:
Group name. (Year, Month Date). Title of page. Site name (if applicable). URL
*If site name is the same as the group name, you do not repeat it.
*If publication date is not listed, use the abbreviation (n.d.). 
Planned Parenthood. (n.d.). Mission. Retrieved from http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/mission

 

Citing data sets

Here is one example of how to cite data sets:
Lastname, F. M. or Name of Group (Year). Title of dataset (Version No.) [Data set]. Publisher. DOI or URL
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2023). U.S. Chronic Disease Indicators (CDI) [Data set]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/u-s-chronic-disease-indicators-cdi
 

Synthesizing References

Cooperative Learning Center

The Cooperative Learning Center (CLC) is located on the second floor of the library (room 2125) and engages a community of diverse learners in peer-to-peer collaboration to develop study skills, habits of mind, and knowledge essential for interdisciplinary learning. The CLC provides both virtual/online and in-person writing tutoring services. The Center is open for virtual and in-person visits.

Citation Managers