How to Search for Data

1. Define your topic
Write a statement or question that you want to investigate. When your topic involves research data, consider these variables:

• Unit of analysis: who/what are you studying? Do you want aggregate data or microdata?
• Geography: what area(s) are of interest? Specific cities or countries?
• Time period: need data for specific periods of time? (e.g., this year, previous decade)
•  Frequency: Ideally, how often would this data have been collected? (e.g., annually)

Be flexible with your criteria. Sometimes the exact data you want hasn’t been collected or may require comparing across multiple data sets to answer your question. What variable are you willing to adjust? For example, if your topic hasn’t been collected at a national level, can you examine data at the state level? If no one has collected data for this last year, can you consider data for the prior year?

2. Pick keywords
Break your topic into concepts. Write down the concepts and brainstorm synonyms and related terms that you would use in a search.

Example: Is there a difference in use of tobacco by adult men and women in the United States in the last ten years?

3. Select data sources to search

• Determine what agencies are likely to have collected this data. Brainstorm the various government agencies, researchers, and non-profits that would have an interest in this information.

• Decide if you want data or statistics. Do you want raw data (data that can be analyzed in a statistical program) or statistics (data that has already been analyzed)? If raw data is what you need, look for data in file formats that are compatible with your software.

Based on the first two points, visit the relevant online sources in this research guide. Using the keywords you selected in step 2, search and browse for these terms.

4. Need more help?

Visit the Reference Desk or make a research appointment with a librarian for more assistance.


Download - Data research worksheet