TESTS, SCALES, & INVENTORIES [APA 7 Publication Manual, Section 10.11, pp. 340-341]
APA 7th edition prefers that you cite the manual for a test, scale, or inventory whenever one is available. When a test does not have a manual or it is not available for you to consult, cite the test.
- To cite a test, scale, or inventory, provide a citation for its supporting literature (e.g., the manual, which may be an authored or edited book, or the journal article in which it was published).
- The title of a test, a scale, or an inventory should be capitalized using title case whenever it appears in a paper, even if the test title is italicized in the reference.
- A test database name is included only for test database records. Use the DOI number.
- Capitalization: "The title of a test, a scale, or an inventory should be capitalized using title case whenever it appears in a paper."
- Italicization: "Although the test title may be italicized in a reference (e.g., in the name of a manual or when the test itself is cited), in the text, the title of a test should appear in title case in standard (nonitalic) type."
Citing a manual:
Example:
Tellegen, A., & Ben-Porath, Y. S. (2011). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF): Technical manual. Pearson.
Parenthetical citation: (Tellegen & Ben-Porath, 2011)
Narrative citation: Tellegen and Ben-Porath (2011)
Citing an instrument used for assessment
Example:
Butcher, J. N. (2006). MMPI-2: A Practitioner's Guide. American Psychological Association.
Parenthetical citation: (Butcher, 2006)
Narrative citation: Butcher (2006)
Example for a test found in a database such as APA PsycTESTS
Li, S.-C. S., & Huang, W.-C. (2016). Teachers' Perceptions of Game-Based Learning Attributes Measure. PsycTESTS. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.03.008
Parenthetical citations: (Li & Huang, 2016)
Narrative citations: Li and Huang (2016)
