title: Selecting, developing, and evaluating research instruments.
abstract: The goal of this paper is to provide researchers who are not experts in psychometric theory with a concise guide to instrument selection, development and evaluation. Issues of context - factors related to the setting or population in which an instrument will be used - and psychometrics - the functioning of an instrument within a given context - are reviewed and discussed. Finally, four categories or types of instruments, and the psychometric analyses that are necessary for establishing the reliability and validity of each type, are described.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Switzer
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Wisniewski
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Belle
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dew
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schultz
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D011581:Psychological Tests / Q000592:standards*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results