Research Instruments

Click here to access the A-Z List of Databases. This is where you will find the licensed library content: scholarly journal articles, dissertations & theses, ebooks, multimedia and more. The Librarians recommend starting your research in ProQuest Central. Questions? Contact us for help at: library@aspen.edu

2. Locating Instrument Reviews to narrow the list of possibilities

TIPS for finding reviews:

• reference lists that cite instruments in dissertations, journal articles (in the library), book chapters (including textbooks) 
• may include a description, a critique, an explanation of use, or the full text of the test
• Each library database and online resource varies regarding what is included in each reference entry.
• Including a copy of the text in an article or dissertation does not grant permission for its use in a new project.

FINDING Research instrument records in the Library

These are NOT scholarly articles but describe standardized research instruments by providing:

• a description
• validation information
• directions on how to obtain a copy of the instrument 

On the advanced search page

• Scroll down to Publication Type (under limit your results)
• Select Research Instrument
• Hit Search to retrieve ALL research instruments documents in the CINAHL database

OR

• Scroll down to Publication Type (under limit your results)
• Select Research Instrument
• Do a keyword search on your topic in the search boxes to retrieve research instrument documents 

Dissertations and theses often include copies and details of the instruments in the appendices

• the dissertation will not indicate the copyright status of the instrument. 
• you must independently determine copyright status and obtain permission to use the instrument. 
• the appendices often contain contact information for the copyright holders. In some databases, you can limit to the appendices in the search.