This document provides strategies and resources for finding statistics and data for research. It discusses the differences between data and statistics, and examples of types of statistics such as point-in-time measurements, time series, and geographic areas. Sources of statistics mentioned include static tables, databases, and poll data from organizations like Gallup. The document recommends strategies like searching indexes, statistics databases, and library guides, as well as mining the references of relevant secondary sources.

1. Strategies and Resources for

2. Learning Outcomes
In this session, you will…
 Increase your knowledge of statistics sources
 Learn several strategies for finding statistics
 Develop some ideas about how/when statistics
may be helpful for different kinds of research

3. Data versus Statistics
 The terms are used interchangeably, but there are
important differences
 The term statistics is used to describe
aggregated, analyzed data, generally answering
the question, how many?
(numbers/figures/percents)
 Data refers to the individual responses or
observations as collected. Untabulated.
Unanalyzed. “Raw data”
 Raw datasets generally require statistical software
and the use of codebooks to interpret the data.

4. Statistics: In a static table
Daoud, A. M. (2002). "The ESL kids are over there": Social and
language boundaries between immigrant latino and white high
school students. University of California, Santa Barbara). ProQuest
Dissertations and Theses, , 198-198 p. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/252128757?accountid=10267.
(252128757).

5. Statistics from a Database

6. Raw data….

7. SPSS (Stastical Software)
for Raw
Data

8. What kind of statistics?
 Point-in-time measurements (e.g., how
may people are above/below the poverty
line in…?)
 Time series (same data point represented
over a period of time – years, quarterly,
months)
 Geographic area – By country, state, city,
smaller?

9. Poll data
 Which regions of the country more
strongly oppose gun control?
 Is a person’s income bracket a good
predictor of whether they support or
oppose gun control?

10. iPoll (from the Roper
Center)
 iPoll
[search] gun control
[organization] Gallup
Note the “crosstabs” symbol
1. Which regions of the country more strongly oppose gun
control?
2. Is a person’s income bracket a good predictor of
whether they support or oppose gun control?

11. 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 especially true for business data).

12. Before the internet…
 There are lots of statistics available on the
web, and in library subscription databases,
but many of these sources will not go back
as far as you need.
 Example: National Crime Victimization
Survey

13. But we may have it in print!

14. Strategies
 Search an index or compendia or portal to
statistical sources, such as the Statistical Abstract
of the United States, OECD iLibrary, and more.
 Find a statistics database
 Search for “statistics” in the library’s “library
guides”
 Scholar’s trick: Mine the source notes in relevant
secondary sources (books, journal articles, etc.)

15. More strategies…
 Search the web, adding the terms “statistics
portal” “data repository” etc. , but be prepared to
find both statistics and raw data.
 For raw data, search a data repository such as
CISER, Databib, Dataverse, AidData, and on, and
on…

16. Mine the Secondary
Sources
 Select a database. For this exercise, let’s use
Academic Search Premier
 Add some search terms
 Add statistics OR data OR table or graph in the
line below your topic search terms.
 Review what you have found.

17. Keep an eye out
 New data sources are popping up all the time
 If your work will be data-heavy, look for an option
to be added to an email list of organizations or
projects that you have found. For example, while
working on this session, a note came through my
email announcing this resource:
LawAtlas.org
LawAtlasSM is a gateway to key laws aimed at
improving our health or access to health care.