Setting up a PsycTESTS® Search

December 2016

Examples on APA PsycNET®, EBSCOhost, Ovid, and ProQuest

Setting up a PsycTESTS® Search

These slides contain supporting material for a post on the APA

Databases & Electronic Resources Blog

Setting up a PsycTESTS Search

• PsycTESTS is a research database that provides information on

nearly 40,000 tests, and the scholarly literature where they originate.

• You can search for a test by author name, keywords, test name, test

construct and more.

• PsycTESTS also includes limits that can be set before or after you run

the search.

Setting up a PsycTESTS® Search

• Administration Method - how the test is given to participants, such as paper or interview

• Age Group - specific age groups that were the focus of the test

• Fee - indicates whether or not there is a fee for test use

• Instrument Type - the primary testing category, such as checklist or task

• Permissions - may grant use for non-commercial research and teaching, or it may specify who to contact to obtain these permissions

• Population Group - the population to which the test was administered: human, animal, male, female, inpatient or outpatient

• Supporting Documentation - types of supporting documentation, such as instructor guide or answer sheet

• PsycTESTS Classification - the general area of psychology that the measure is designed to assess, such as Human-Computer Interaction or Personality

• Test Available - a checkbox that limits your search to only records that have the PDF of the test attached to the descriptive record

PsycTESTS® Limits

Opening a PsycTESTS® record shows the Test Master Record, which gives a profile and descriptive summary of the test, and one or more linked Test Child Records.

Test Child Records may be:

• Test Development: discusses the development of the test. You’ll see this for most of the tests in in the database.

• Test Review: reviews the test – this is available for a small percentage of the tests. • Test Use: reports on a new use of the test – for example, a researcher may have taken a test

designed for adults and administered it to teenagers. This is also available for a small percentage of tests.

Test Master Records & Test Child Records

APA PsycNET® Search

In this example, we’ll search

“motivation” as the Test Name.

Searchable Fields

APA PsycNET®

The Age Group limit is set to

“Adulthood.”

The Permissions limit is set to “May

use for Research/Teaching.”

The Test Available limit is selected.

Advanced Search Limits

APA PsycNET®

Results Page Limits

APA PsycNET®

You can select further limits from the search results page, such as Test Construct

or Instrument Type.

The Test Master Record includes

links to the PDF of the test in the upper

right and to the Test Child Record at

the bottom of the page.

Test Master Records & Test Child Records

APA PsycNET®

EBSCOhost Search

In this example, we’ll search “motivation” as

the Title.

Searchable Fields

EBSCOhost

The Age Group limit is set to

“Adulthood.”

The Permissions limit is set to “May

use for Research/Teaching.”

The Full Text limit is selected.

Advanced Search Limits

EBSCOhost

Results Page Limits

EBSCOhost

To remove a Limiter from these search

results, you can click the x beside it.

You can select other limits by clicking

Show More.

The Test Master Record includes

links to the PDF Full Text of the

test and to the Test Child Record.

Test Master Records & Test Child Records

EBSCOhost

Ovid Search

In this example, we’ll search

“motivation” as the Test Name.

To add limits to your search, click

on Edit Limits.

Searchable Fields

Ovid

Select the limits you’d like to use

on the search page, such as Age

Group and Permissions.

When you are done, click

Customize Limits to add your

selections to the search page.

Advanced Search Limits

Ovid

Back on the search page, you

can use these newly added limits

on your search terms.

The Age Group limit is set to

“Adulthood.”

The Permissions limit is set to

“May use for

Research/Teaching.”

Advanced Search Limits

Ovid

Results Page Limits

Ovid

You can select other limits, such as

Subject and Year, in the left-hand

menu.

The Test Master Record includes

links to the test PDF and to the

Test Child Record.

Test Master Records & Test Child Records

Ovid

ProQuest Search

In this example, we’ll search

“motivation” as the Test

Name.

Limit the search to include

Full text of the test.

Searchable Fields

ProQuest

The Permissions limit is set to

“May use for Research/Teaching.”

The Instrument Type limit is set

to “Inventory/Questionnaire.”

Advanced Search Limits

ProQuest

Results Page Limits

ProQuest

You can select other limits, such as

Test construct and Classification,

in the left-hand menu.

The Test Master Record includes a

link to the test PDF in the upper right

and an expandable Test Child

Record at the bottom of the page.

Test Master Records &

Test Child Records

ProQuest

APA Databases & Electronic Resources Customer Relations

800-374-2722 | psycinfo@apa.org

This presentation was made to support a post on the APA Databases &

Electronic Resources Blog.