MFT 6700 Graduate Research

• In preparation for Research Proposal, due Spring quarter, and presented at SPFC Research Conference
  • Examples available in Digital Commons @ SPU; search within collection for research proposal, and limit to MFT
• MFT 6710 Grad Research II only meets about 4 times, so start early

• Research Proposal
  • Each student will participate in the design and development of a research proposal. The written assignment will consist of an Introduction, Review of Literature, and Methods. The written proposal is due the week prior to the SPFC Research Conference.
• Proposal Presentation
  • Each student will present her/his research proposal during the SPFC Research conference. Instructions for submitting proposals will be provided.

In this guide and in my instruction time with you, we'll address these three essential questions:

1. How do I identify possible tests/measures to use in my research proposal?
2. How do I evaluate if one would work for my research?
3. How do I locate the actual instrument?

Use these databases to find information about a test or measure, such as reliability, validity, how it has been used, and occasionally the instrument itself.

• Search PsycINFO...
  • by topic (e.g. vocation)
    • search for your topic, then view Tests & Measures limiter on the left of the search results
  • by measure title or acronym (e.g. “calling and vocation questionnaire”)
    • TM Tests and Measures field: locates all mentions of the instrument in Tests and Measures field (broad); use keyword “appended” to see if full-text is included
    • Select a Field: searches within Title, Translated Title, Classification Codes, Abstract, Keyword, Subjects, and Author (broad)
    • SU Subjects/DE Subjects: locates articles about measure as a topic (narrow)

Watch the tutorial below for an example of searching for tests and measures in APA PsycInfo (4:53)

This is not a comprehensive list of resources available on the Index Tables. See this list for more titles.

Search the SPU catalog for more sources on this topic. 

1. Search SPU Primo by keyword for topic or test name (a measure may be in a book's appendix). 
2. Search for websites via Google under the measure's specific title in quotations to see if it is available online. 
3. Consult SPU Psychology faculty; they may know of a measure on your topic and how to get it.