Tests & Measures

Published and Unpublished

Educational, psychological and psychosocial testing and measuring instruments are an important part of research and clinical practice in the health and social sciences.  There are two kinds of instruments:

1. Published tests and measures which must be purchased through a commercial publisher.  To purchase a test, you may be required to demonstrate your qualifications to administer and interpret the test.  Published test can be expensive.
2. Unpublished tests and measures which are are not available from a publisher, but are sometimes included in journal articles and dissertations.

Copyright

If you use an unpublished test, the American Psychological Association advises:

"Users of unpublished tests have certain ethical responsibilities. Users must (a) contact the test author and request permission to use their test, and (b) secure their permission in writing if the material is copyright."

Use the author contact information usually listed on the first page of the article.  If that fails, contact the publisher of the article, which may hold the copyright, and request permission.  A sample permission letter is included in: 

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Be sure you understand and follow the guidelines for using human volunteers in your research.  If you have any questions, contact your advisor or the SDSU Human Research Protection Program.