Validity refers to the extent to which an instrument measures what it was intended to measure. Therefore, an instrument is considered "valid" if it measured what it set out to measure. Validity is associated with quantitative data collection, and requires various statistical techniques and concepts to establish.
When researchers design or test an instrument, they will typically publish a scholarly journal article or book chapter that discusses how validity was established for the instrument as shown in the example below. Reviewing the full-text resource should reveal the established validity.
Additionally, there are some specialized library databases that may help with finding the validity of an instrument.
APA PsycTests is a database of psychological tests and measures designed for use with social and behavioral science research, most of which are in the public domain (i.e., available to use without permission). Clicking on the Detailed Record for an instrument in APA PsycTests will often provide the validity and reliability of the instrument as shown in the example below.
Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print provides reviews of commercially-available test instruments and measures. Often these reviews provide information about reliability within the HTML Full Text document as shown in the example below.
For additional information about test instruments, please see the Library's Tests and Measurements page. Contact the Library with questions.
