Tips for Finding Data
Depending upon your topic, data may be readily available or it may require some creative searching to locate it. In fact, it may be unavailable to you! This is why it pays to locate data sources very early in a research project.
- Use your Literature Review articles, did the researchers cite sources for the data they used?
- Is the data: U.S. data, international data, country specific or from many different countries?
- Who may have compiled the data: a governmental agency, a non-governmental organization, a researcher, etc.?
- NationMaster.com or StateMaster may be helpful, since the source for a selected statistic is given at the bottom of the table.
Once you locate a potential source for the data,
- Is it freely available from a government agency or non-profit organization?
- Is it available from one of the resources to which the University Library subscribes?
If your searches fail to find a source for the data,
- Will the researchers make the data they used available to you?
Data Centers and Sources to Find Datasets
- ICPSR This link opens in a new window
World's largest social science data archive. Important Login Information: Click “Log in.” Then, select “Sign in with email,” NOT “Access through your institution.” If you haven't already done so, create an account using your W&L email address.
- Google Dataset SearchDataset Search is a search engine for datasets.
- openICPSRopenICPSR is a research data-sharing service for social and behavioral sciences. It allows the public to access research data at no charge.
- Inclusive Data Resource HubThis document serves as an inclusive data hub that aggregates data and resources on groups, areas, and topics relevant to groups traditionally underrepresented in social science research.
- NBER Public Use Data ArchiveThe NBER Public Use Data Archive is an eclectic mix of public-use economic, demographic, and enterprise data obtained over the years to satisfy the specific requests of NBER-affiliated researchers for particular projects.
- Pew Research Center DatasetsPew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.