Guide Index

SilverPlatter Guide

Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMYB)

Guide Index:
About Mental Measurements Yearbook
Combining Searches
Fields in Mental Measurements Yearbook
Finding Word Variants
Limit Fields
Search Examples
Stopwords
Table of Contents
Using Indexes
Copyright Statement

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About Mental Measurements Yearbook

Mental Measurements Yearbook, produced by the Buros Institute, contains fulltext information about and reviews of all English-language standardized tests covering educational skills, personality, vocational aptitude, psychology, and related areas as included in the printed Mental Measurements Yearbooks. This database product contains data from Yearbooks 9 through 16.

For each test, the database provides the name of the test author, publication information, scoring information, and the number of the Mental Measurements Yearbook in which the test was described originally. The full text for each record includes an overview of the test, a description of the test materials and time needed, and one or more reviews of the test.

The database can be used by professionals such as counselors, guidance workers, psychologists, personnel directors, and educators.

Guide last updated October 26, 2005.

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Combining Searches

Beginning a search statement with an operator (and, not, or, with, near, or in) automatically combines that statement with the previous one. For instance, if the search you just completed is curriculum, searching for and assessment will give you the same results as if you search for curriculum and assessment.

For efficient searching, use the most appropriate operator for your search:

Operator:	Example:	How it works:
OR	assessment or behavior	Retrieves records that contain either "assessment," "behavior," or both.
AND	assessment and behavior	Retrieves records that contain both "assessment" and "behavior."
NOT	benchmark not standard	Retrieves records that contain "benchmark" but not "standard."
WITH	assessment with behavior	Retrieves records that contain both "assessment" and "behavior" in the same field.
NEAR	assessment near behavior	Retrieves records that contain both "assessment" and "behavior" in the same sentence.
IN	assessment in ft	Retrieves records that contain "assessment" in the FT (Full Text) field.

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Fields in Mental Measurements Yearbook

Records in Mental Measurements Yearbook are divided into the following fields. Highlighted fields are limit fields.

Label	Field Name	Label	Field Name
AC	Acronym	RE	Reviewer
AN	Accession Number	RI	Review Indicator
AU	Test Author	SC	Scores
FT	Full Text	TN	Test Name
PB	Publisher	YB	Mental Measurements Yearbook
PD	Publication Date

There is also a special subset of fields, Citation (CITN), which consists of the TN, PD, PB, YB, and AN fields. Use Citation to display, print, or save only these fields for a set of records.

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Label	Field Name
AC	Acronym (a limit field) cat in ac ac=pacs
	The AC field contains the acronym of the test described in the record. Use this field to search for a particular test name acronym as shown in the examples above. Acronyms are only listed if the author or publisher has made substantial use of the acronym in referring to the test, or if the test is widely known by the acronym. Browsing Acronyms As an alternative to searching with the field label, you can browse acronyms used in the database and search for them directly from the Acronym Field-Specific Index. This field-specific index contains only acronyms drawn from the AC field, therefore, your search will always yield results. Search results display in the AC field.
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AN	Accession Number (a limit field) 15099790 in an an=15099790
	Each record in Mental Measurements Yearbook is assigned a unique Accession Number. This allows you to retrieve a specific record at any time as shown in the examples above. Browsing Accession Numbers As an alternative to searching with the field label, you can browse numbers and search for them directly from the Accession Number Field-Specific Index. This field-specific index contains only numbers drawn from the AN field, therefore, your search will always yield results. Search results display in the AN field.
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AU	Test Author (a limit field) au=jones jones-warren* in au center-for-applied-linguistics in au
	The AU field contains the author(s) of the test described in the record. Authors include individuals and organizations. For individual authors, names are listed last name first, followed by first name and middle initial. Search for complete names as hyphenated phrases or use truncation as shown in the examples above. Note: When searching for authors' names that include the words and, or, not, with, near, or in (the search operators), enclose the word(s) in quotation marks; for example: center for studies "in" education "and" human development in au Browsing Author Names As an alternative to searching with the field label, you can browse names and search for them directly from the Test Author Field-Specific Index. This field-specific index contains only names drawn from the AU field, therefore, your search will always yield results. Search results display in the AU field.
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FT	Full Text autism in ft spacial relationships in ft
	The FT field contains the full text of the record, which is organized into named sections which are subdivided into paragraphs where necessary. You can search for any word or phrase in this field. You can also access the FT field through the Table of Contents.
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PB	Publisher (a limit field) national occupational competency testing institute in pb pb=macmillan
	The PB field contains the publisher and publisher's address for the test described in the record. Use this field to search for a particular publisher as shown in the examples above. Note: When searching for publisher's names that include the words and, or, not, with, near, or in (the search operators), enclose the word(s) in quotation marks; for example: arkansas research "and" training center "in" vocational rehabilitation in pb Browsing Publisher Names As an alternative to searching with the field label, you can browse components of publisher names and addresses and search for them directly from the Publisher Field-Specific Index. This field-specific index contains only name and address terms drawn from the PB field, therefore, your search will always yield results. Search results display in the PB field.
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PD	Publication Date (a limit field) 1990 in pd pd=1990
	The PD field contains the date(s) of publication of the test described in the record. Use this field to search for a particular date as shown in the examples above. Browsing Publication Dates As an alternative to searching with the field label, you can browse four-digit publication years or ranges and search for them directly from the Publication Date Field-Specific Index. This field-specific index contains only years and ranges drawn from the PD field, therefore, your search will always yield results. Search results display in the PD field.
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RE	Reviewer (a limit field) hightower in re hightower-dirk* in re re=hightower
	The RE field contains the names of the reviewer(s) whose review is included in the full text of the record. Reviewer's names are listed last name first, followed by first name and middle initial. Search for complete names as hyphenated phrases or use truncation as shown in the examples above. Note: When searching for reviewer's names that include the words and, or, not, with, near, or in (the search operators), enclose the word(s) in quotation marks. Browsing Reviewer Names As an alternative to searching with the field label, you can browse names and search for them directly from the Reviewer Field-Specific Index. This field-specific index contains only names drawn from the RE field, therefore, your search will always yield results. Search results display in the RE field.
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RI	Review Indicator (a limit field) 2 in ri ri=1-3 ri>1
	The RI field indicates the number of reviews available in the full text of the record. Use this field to limit your search to records with a particular number of reviews, such as two or more reviews; for example: ri>=2 Browsing Review Quantities As an alternative to searching with the field label, you can browse the number of reviews available in a record and search for records with that quantity directly from the Review Indicator Field-Specific Index. Search results display in the RI field.
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SC	Scores (a limit field) speech in sc sc=interaction
	The SC field contains information on scoring mechanisms for the test described in the record. The information provided is very detailed and can help you determine what the test actually measures. Because a particular concept may be defined in several ways, be sure to look up all possible definitions. Note: When searching for scores that include the words and, or, not, with, near, or in (the search operators), enclose the word(s) in quotation marks; for example: sounds "and" letters in sc Scoring is included for the test as a whole and for each part of the test, if appropriate. Scores also appear in the Full Text (FT) field. Alternatively, select the Scores section of a test from the Table of Contents or search for scores terms at the Index screen by using the Scores Field-Specific Index. The Scores Index is a list of all the words used in the Scores field, therefore your search will always yield results. Search results display in the SC field,
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TN	Test Name (a limit field) phonological assessment of child speech in tn tn=development
	The TN field contains the name of the test described in the record. You can search for the complete test name to retrieve the record for that particular test or you can search for one or more words to retrieve all tests with those words in the name. Note: When searching for complete test names that include the words and, or, not, with, near, or in (the search operators), enclose the word(s) in quotation marks; for example: gifted "and" talented scale in tn Alternatively, select a test from the Table of Contents or search for a test name in the Test Name Field-Specific Index. This index lists all the words used in test names, therefore, your search will always yield results. Search results display in the TN field.
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YB	Mental Measurements Yearbook (a limit field) 10 in yb yb>11 yb=10-12
	The YB field indicates the number of the Mental Measurements Yearbook in which the test was described originally. Use this field to limit your search to records from a particular Mental Measurements Yearbook, such as Yearbooks from 11 on; for example: yb>=11 Alternatively, select a yearbook number from the Mental Measurements Yearbook Field-Specific Index. This index lists only Yearbook numbers, therefore, your search will always yield results. Search results display in the YB field.
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CITN	Citation
	The Citation is a subset of fields consisting of the following fields. The Citation serves as an easy way to display, print, or save only these fields for a set of records. Accession Number (AN) Mental Measurements Yearbook (YB) Publication Date (PD) Publisher (PB) Test Name (TN)
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Finding Word Variants

Use the truncation symbol (*) or the wildcard symbol (?) to find variations of your search term.

Using Truncation
Use the truncation symbol (*) as a substitute for any string of zero or more characters in your search term. For example, the search robot* retrieves any record containing "robot," "robots," "robotics," etc. You can use the truncation symbol anywhere in your search term, except as the first character.

Using Wildcards
You can use the wildcard symbol (?) as a substitute for one character or none. For example, the search m?cdonald retrieves records containing "McDonald" or "MacDonald." You can use the wildcard symbol anywhere in your search term, except as the first character.

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Limit Fields

The limit fields listed below are specially indexed fields that enable you to choose from a specific set of field values. They allow you to limit your searches to records of a particular characteristic, such as test name acronym, Mental Measurements Yearbook number, or name of test reviewer.

To view information about a field, click on the highlighted text.

Acronym (AC)
Accession Number (AN)
Test Author (AU)
Publisher (PB)
Publication Date (PD)
Reviewer (RE)
Review Indicator (RI)
Scores (SC)
Test Name (TN)
Mental Measurements Yearbook (YB)

You must search these fields with in or =. For example, to retrieve records of tests published by Macmillan, type:

macmillan in pb or pb=macmillan

In addition to in and =, the following operators may be used with the RI and YB fields:

Symbol	Operation Performed	Example
<	less than	ri<3
>	greater than	yb>11
<=	less than or equal to	yb<=12
>=	greater than or equal to	ri>=2
-	within a range	yb=10-12

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Search Examples

The following examples demonstrate how to search Mental Measurements Yearbook. These examples are not exhaustive, but do illustrate several search techniques. It is important to note that, although all examples are given in lowercase, SPIRS is not case-sensitive; whether your search terms are entered in upper- or lower-case, the same records will be retrieved.

Example 1
To view information about a particular test, use the Test Name (TN) field; for example:  early school assessment 
in tn

Example 2
Suppose you want to research the administration time of tests that are useful indicators for 
communication disorders such as autism.

1.  Search for communication disorders or autism by typing:  communication disorders or autis*

Using the truncation symbol (*) ensures that you search for all variations of the root term, such as "autism," 
"autistic," etc.  Truncation enables you to retrieve records containing variations of your term.

2.  Display the full text for the records and scroll through each one to look at the Time section.

Example 3
Suppose you want to look up tests published by Scholastic Testing Service that have two or more reviews.

1.  Search for Scholastic Testing Service by typing:  scholastic testing service in pb

2.  Combine the results of the previous search with a search for two or more reviews by using the Review 
Indicator (RI) field:  and ri>=2

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Stopwords

Words of little intrinsic meaning that occur too frequently to be useful in searching text are known as "stopwords." You cannot search for the following words by themselves but must enclose them within quotation marks within a phrase:

and
in
near
not
with

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The Database Table of Contents is divided according to types of tests (listed alphabetically), which include the following:

* Achievement	* Multi-Aptitude
* Behavior-Assessment	* Neuropsychological
* Developmental	* Personality
* Education	* Reading
* English	* Science
* Fine-Arts	* Sensory-Motor
* Foreign-Languages	* Social-Studies
* Intelligence-and-Scholastic-Aptitude	* Speech-and-Hearing
* Mathematics	* Vocations
* Miscellaneous

This listing comprises the first level of the Table of Contents.

When you expand a test type, the test(s) in that group are displayed alphabetically by test name. This comprises the second level of the Table of Contents.

When you expand a test name, headings from the full text of the record are displayed. The headings give you immediate access to that section of the full text. Headings include the following:

* Test Profile	* Scores
* Purpose	* Manual
* Population	* Time
* Price	* Comments
* Administration	* Reviews

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Using Indexes

The indexes available for this database are listed below. Each index enables you to look up, select, and search for variations of terms listed in the database. Refer to the SPIRS Help for specific information about using indexes.

Using the Free Text Index (General Index)
The Free Text Index (General Index in WebSPIRS) contains an alphabetical list of terms that were used to index the non-limit database fields. The Free Text Index allows you to look up, select, and search for variations of a term. It is particularly useful if you are uncertain of the spelling of a term or how the terms are used in the database. Since the Free Text Index shows terms used in indexing the database, searching directly from this index will always yield results. The FT field is included in the Free Text Index.

Using Field-Specific Indexes
Field-specific indexes are available for some database fields. Each field-specific index contains an alphabetical list of the terms appearing in an individual field. As with the Free Text Index, this allows you to look up, select, and search for variations of a term. The advantage of a field-specific index is that you know where the terms occur in the database. For example, if you look up "Center for Applied Linguistics" in the Test Author Index Field-Specific Index, you know that all occurrences of the term are as an author of a test described in the record.

The following database fields have field-specific indexes. These fields are also limit fields.

Acronym (AC)
Accession Number (AN)
Test Author (AU)
Publisher (PB)
Publication Date (PD)
Reviewer (RE)
Review Indicator (RI)
Scores (SC)
Test Name (TN)
Mental Measurements Yearbook (YB)

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Copyright Statement

Mental Measurements Yearbook
Buros

Copyrights of SilverPlatter International N.V.: Search and Retrieval Software, 1990 to present; guide files, indexes and supporting files, 1995 to present.

"SilverPlatter" is a registered trademark of SilverPlatter International N.V. The SilverPlatter logo, the quarter arc logo, "SilverLinker," "SPIRS," "PC-SPIRS," "WinSPIRS," "SPIRS Full-Text," "WebSPIRS," "UnixSPIRS," "ERL," "ERL compliant," "NEC SPIRS," and "MacSPIRS" are trademarks of SilverPlatter International N.V.

The staff of the Buros Institute has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the test information included in the Database. However, the Buros Institute and the Editors of The Mental Measurements Yearbooks do not assume, and hereby expressly and absolutely disclaim, any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions or statements of any kind in the Database. This disclaimer also includes judgments or statements of any kind made by test reviewers, who were extended the professional freedom appropriate to their task. The reviews are the sole opinion of the individual reviewers and do not necessarily represent any general consensus of the professional community or any professional organizations. The judgments and opinions of the reviewers are their own, uninfluenced in any way by the Buros Institute or the Editors.

All material included in the Database is intended solely for the use of our readers. None of this material, including reviewer statements, may be used in advertising or for any other commercial purpose.

The Subscriber may use the Database for research purposes only, and may not publish, reproduce, transmit, store in any information retrieval system, or otherwise make available or sell the disc or its contents, whether in hard copy, electronically transmitted or any other form, and whether for commercial, educational or other purposes, other than for its own internal purposes or otherwise in accordance with SilverPlatter's License Agreement.

Buros uses its best efforts to ensure that its Database contains an accurate representation or interpretation of the original material from which the Database was drawn, but neither Buros nor SilverPlatter International N.V. or their affiliates will be held responsible for any damage, claim or expense incurred by a Subscriber or user as a result of its use or reliance upon the Database.

NEITHER SILVERPLATTER NOR BUROS MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES AS TO MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IN CONNECTION WITH THE DATABASE, THE SEARCH AND RETRIEVAL SOFTWARE, THE GUIDE FILES, INDEXES OR SUPPORTING FILES EXCEPT AS EXPLICITLY SET FORTH IN THE LICENSE AGREEMENT. BOTH SILVERPLATTER AND BUROS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL OTHER WARRANTIES AND REPRESENTATIONS. NEITHER SILVERPLATTER NOR BUROS WILL BE LIABLE FOR SPECIAL CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR INDIRECT DAMAGES, OR FOR "LOST PROFITS," EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF.

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Guide Revised November 1, 2005

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