This document discusses strategies for finding data and statistics when what is needed is not readily available. It explains that data refers to raw, unanalyzed observations while statistics are aggregated and analyzed data. When desired data is unavailable, strategies include searching statistical indexes and portals, government and international agencies that may collect similar data, and mining source notes in secondary literature which can provide clues about where data was collected originally. Compromises often must be made between what is wanted and what exists.

1. Strategies and Resources for

2. Data versus Statistics
 The terms are used interchangeably, and
that’s okay, but there are important differences
 Data: The data as it was collected.
Untabulated. Unanalyzed. Individual
responses or observations. Raw datasets
require statistical software, codebooks, and
the necessary skills to use them.
 Statistics are aggregated, analyzed data,
generally answering the question, how many?
(numbers/figures/percents)

3. A Dataset txt file

4. Data as it appears in SPSS

5. Statistics: In a static table

6. Statistics from a dynamic
database

7. What you want – What there is
 Finding statistics or data is often an exercise in making
compromises between what you want and what there
is.
 Some statistical collections won’t go back as far as you
need
 Some data collections are restricted (to protect
respondent’s privacy)
 Some data is proprietary and only sold at a steep price
(this is true especially for business data).
 And sometimes the data you want was never collected

8. Migrant Farm Labor, State Data

9. Strategies
 Mine the source notes in relevant secondary sources (books,
journal articles, etc.)
 Is there a governmental department, business association,
think tank, or international agency that might be interested in
gathering the information, e.g. United Nations, World Bank,
World Health Information, UNESCO, US Census Bureau,
etc.
 Ex. UNESCO report, “International Student Mobility in sub-Saharan
Africa ”
 Search an index to statistical sources, such as Statistical
Abstract of the United States, Proquest Statistical Insight,
International Statistics Sources, etc.
 Example: “Native Americans”

10. More strategies…
 Find a statistics database
Statistics Sources for the Social Sciences
US Crime
NCJRS National Criminal Justice Reference System
US Economy
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
International Social Indicators
UNESCO – Data Centre – China

11. And more…
 Search a major statistics portal, such as the UN Statistics
Resource Guide to find things like Economics – IMF Data
and Statistics: “Natural Disasters Hitting More People,
Becoming More Costly”
 Search the web, adding the terms “statistics portal” “data
repository” etc. to find things like East Africa Community
Statistics Portal
 For raw datasets, search a data repository such as CISER,
Databib, Dataverse, AidData, and on, and on…

12. Mine the Secondary
Sources
 Select a discipline-specific database
 In most cases, you will need to choose the Advanced Search
 Add statistics OR data OR table or graph along with your
topic search terms.
 Sometimes, the data was collected by the author; other
times the researcher is using data from another source.
These source notes can be great clues!

13. Statistics embedded in an
article
FURNHAM, ADRIAN, and STEPHANIE PALTZER. "The
Portrayal Of Men And Women In Television Advertisements:
An Updated Review Of 30 Studies Published Since 2000."
Scandinavian Journal Of Psychology 51.3 (2010): 216-236.
 "In Japan (Furnham & Imadzu, 2002), the only
difference was seen in the home category
where 19.35% of women and 9% of men
advertised home products. Men and women
were just as likely to advertise body products
and it was the most common product
advertised for both sex (28% of males and
30.97% of females.“

14. Article referencing a data
source
National Agricultural
Workers Survey

15. Article reporting on a
study…
 Measuring the Extent, Depth, and
Severity of Food Insecurity: An
Application to American Indians in
the USA
Source: Journal of Population
Economics, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan., 2008),
pp. 191-215.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40344400 .

16. Summary
 Was the data collected? Who might
have collected the data?
 Search major indexes and statistics
portals
 Mine the secondary literature! Follow the
source notes.