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Getting started with APA PsycTests

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APA PsycTests offers detailed test descriptions, development information, and administration guidelines, plus downloadable instruments for most records. Covering materials from the early 1900s to today, APA PsycTests is an essential resource for anyone seeking validated tools for psychological assessment.

Why use APA PsycTest? 

• Extensive Collection: Thousands of tests, measures, and instruments across diverse psychological constructs.
• Full-text Access: Many records include the complete test, administration instructions, and scoring details.
• Comprehensive Metadata: Each entry provides purpose, construct, target population, and reliability/validity data.
• Linked Research: Connects tests to related scholarly articles for deeper insights.
• Exclusive Coverage: Focuses on unpublished tests, making it a go-to source for original instruments.

How do I search APA PsycTests

Start by entering your main topics into the search bar. Since this is a dedicated Tests and Measures database, your results will consist exclusively of test instruments, scales, questionnaires, and related measurement tools. 

• Use Keywords: Keep it simple (e.g. child development, anxiety or depression)
   
• Search for Phrases: Use quotation marks for exact phrases (e.g., "depression in children")  to get more relevant results..
   
• Combine Terms: Use AND to link different ideas (e.g., Anxiety AND Social Media).
   
• Automatic Suggestions: After you search, look at the top of the page for "Suggested Topics" These suggestions can be added to your search to help broaden your search or narrow it down for more relevant results. ​​​​​

Refining your results

On the left-hand side of the results page, you’ll see the Filters panel. This is your toolkit for narrowing down your search and finding exactly what you need. There are plenty of options to explore, but here are few that may be useful to start with:

• Subject: Focus your results on a specific topic for more relevant resources.
• Publication Date: Set a custom date range to find the most recent research or target a particular time period.
• Test Construct: Filter by the psychological or behavioural concept the test measures (e.g. anxiety, self-esteem).
• Instrument Type: Narrow results by the type of measurement tool (e.g. questionnaire, rating scale, interview schedule).

Saving and exporting your results

Once you've selected the results you want to save, you have a few different options: Click on the following links to view the guide for each option.

• My Research Account: Creating a free My Research account allows you to permanently save documents, searches, and alerts. Items saved here are stored in the "My Documents" area. 
• Download as PDF: For offline access, use the "Download PDF" button or "Save as PDF" (which converts full-text articles into a PDF file).
• Permanent Links: Use the "Copy URL" or "Permalink" tool to save a stable link to the article for future reference or sharing.
• Email & Print: You can email selected articles directly to yourself, including the full text and a formatted citation, or use the print function to generate hard copies

Try Advanced Search for More Control

If your basic search returns too many (or too few) results, switch to Advanced Search. You can find this by clicking the three horizontal lines (menu icon) on the left side of the page.

In this mode, you can use "Boolean Operators" to tell the database exactly how to combine your search terms:

• AND (Narrow your search): Use this to link different ideas. The database will only find articles that contain both terms (e.g., Anxiety AND Social Media).
• OR (Broaden your search): Use this to search for synonyms or related concepts. This is perfect if you aren’t sure which word an author might use. The database will find articles containing either term (e.g., Cats OR Felines).
• NOT (Exclude results): Use this to filter out irrelevant topics. The database will ignore any articles containing the second term (e.g., Depression NOT Postpartum).
• Specific Fields: Use the dropdown menus next to the search boxes to search specifically for an Test Author, Test Construct , or Test Purpose for much more precise results.
• Limiters: filter for publication date, Commercially Available , or Full Text only before you even hit search.

Want to explore more?

You can find several specialised search tools positioned above the main query box on the Basic Search page:

• Publications: Access a specific publication's homepage to search or browse its archives.
• Browse: Discover research by exploring predefined topics and curated content.
• Change Databases: Select or modify which ProQuest databases (such as APA PsycTest) you are currently searching

To find these options on the Advanced Search page, click on the menu.

Check out the ProQuest help centre for guides, videos, tutorials  and more on:

• Basic Searching – Start your research with confidence
• Search Strategy Tips – Find exactly what you need, faster
• Viewing and Saving Articles – Keep your best finds handy
• ProQuest Basic Search Tutorial – Perfect for beginners
• ProQuest Advanced Search Tutorial – Take your searching to the next level

Need more help 

If you would like more help, email us at Library@arden.ac.uk or book a librarian appointment 

Related FAQs

How do I save results in the APA databases