When you are looking for data and statistics related to your research question, it can help to think about the following questions:
- Who might have produced the data you are looking for? Researchers at a university, federal or state agencies, international organizations, research organizations, or business organizations?
- Time: Are you interested in data covering a particular date range? Do you need data that was collected annually, quarterly, etc?
- Have you thought about your unit of analysis? For example, are you interested in data gathered about individuals, households, corporations, counties, states, countries?
- Are you interested in a particular geographic region?
- While reading literature related to your topic, be on the lookout for surveys and studies that look like they might be relevant to your research. Pay attention to any datasets that are mentioned and what measures researchers are using. These surveys, studies, and/or datasets might be useful sources to track down for your research. Also, look for the names of researchers who have produced data and research related to your topic; you might be able to track down their data.
* This list of questions is based on a worksheet presented by Michelle Hudson at Social Science Librarians Boot Camp, Tufts University, June 7, 2013 and on "Literature and Data Search Library Session," by Kristin Partlo, Gould Library, Carleton College.
