Style, Editorial, and Publication Guidelines for Items in Other Common Formats

Abstract

Being familiar with the variety of formats in which test items can appear is one indication of a competent item writer. Familiarity with item formats means that writers understand the definition, structure, and advantages and criticisms for each of these item formats. It also means writers know the technical rules and the guidelines of editorial style for presentation of items in these formats. Whereas the preceding chapter presented information useful to understanding these features for items in the multiple-choice format, this chapter presents parallel discussions for items in several other popularly used formats, including true-false, matching, short-answer, sentences-completion, and cloze-procedure.