Data and Where to Find It

Overview

This guide is designed to give you a better understanding of:

  • Why Data and Datasets?
  • Data Myths
  • Search Tips
  • Data Resources
  • Evaluation
  • Citation

Datasets & Where to Find Them (Self-Guided Workshop)

Title card for datasets and where to find them workshopThe numbers don't lie! Using and analyzing data can add great value to your work and help support you in making big decisions. This workshop will show you where to find data and datasets and introduce key skills and strategies to use and interpret datasets.

This version of the workshop can be done independently and takes about 60 minutes to complete. When you are ready to begin, click the link to open the Nearpod platform where you can complete the workshop.

Please note the workshop will not save your work if you leave it.

Recommended Prerequisite: Introduction to Library Research; Industry Research.

Why Data and Datasets?

Using data to strengthen your analysis and ideas will tremendously improve the quality of your work. With suitable and authentic data, your findings become more trustworthy, and people can rely on what your work says.

  • Note: Not only will data benefit your academic projects, but future employers will accept data in your analysis and recommendations.

Datasets serve as an effective tool for tracking and analysing important information as well as to support strategic decisions
 

Myth #1: The data must exist somewhere; I just don't know how to find it.

This is false!

  • Not all data exists in the world. You will sometimes need to find the closest dataset or create your own dataset from a larger set that already exists.
  • You may not have access to the data. It may contain private information or be stuck behind a pay wall.
    This means you will need to use a lot of creativity and flexibility in your search strategies.

Myth #2: All data/graphs I find are ready-to-use, I just need to cite it in my assignment.

This is also false!

You will need to understand the data itself before you can fully use it in your research. The following are some of the questions you may want to ask yourself about the dataset:

  • Who created the data?
  • How was the data created (what is the collection method)?
  • What metadata (data about the dataset) exists? What does it tell you about the dataset?

Much like other information, you need to check to see if it is trustworthy and reliable.

Data and Dataset Searching Tips

Searching for data is different from searching for journal articles or websites.

  • You will not easily get from your question to an answer, instead you will go through a circular process of browsing for information. You should assume that the exact data you want does not exist and approach the search with flexibility in mind.
  • Before you start searching, you need to ask yourself: what is the information I need?
  • Once you know what information you need, you can brainstorm what type of data will give you the information you need.
Data research process

 

 

Dataset searching can take time and requires a lot of patience

  • Keeping an open mind will help you find an appropriate dataset, you may need to approach your topic from different angle.
  • You may need to search in several locations before finding the exact data you are looking for or the exact data that answers your question.

Let's pretend that you are looking to buy a home in Victoria, British Columbia. Watch the video below for an example of how to search Google and Statistics Canada to answer this research question:

UCW Library Resources (Databases Available to Students)

Downloadable Data 

  • Vividata: Provides impact and marketing on print media readership in Canada. Watch the video below to learn more:

Statistics

  • Data Liberation Initiative (StatsCan) Access to additional Statistics Canada datasets.
  • Statista: A platform for global data and business intelligence.
  • Passport-Euromonitor: Provides Worldwide data and insight on industries, economies, and consumers worldwide.
  • IBIS World: Provides trusted thousand of industries research on industries worldwide. Watch the video below to learn more:

All UCW paid databases are found in the Databases A-Z list. You will only have access to these while you are a UCW student.

Not sure how to access library databases? Watch this video:

International Government Data

  • World Bank Open data: An Open Data Catalog that provides a listing of available world bank datasets.
  • UN data: A web-based data service for the global user community which brings international statistical databases within easy reach of users through a single entry point.
  • WHO data: Report monitors progress towards the health related SDGs
  • Unicef data: UNICEF is the world's leading source of data on children used by over 3 million people globally  
  • IMF data: International Monetary Funds publishes a range of time series data on IMF lending, exchange rates and other economic and financial indicators.

National Government Data

  • US data: Provides access to datasets published by US federal government agencies.
  • Canada data: Contains information about government of Canada tender information published according financial administration act.
  • Statistics Canada (Stats Can help guide): Provides economic, social and census data.
  • Bank of Canada: Provides economic data like exchange rates, price indexes, and other financial statistics.
  • UK data: Provides high quality Social and Economic Research data to support teachers, researchers and policy makers.  
  • EU data portal: Provides access to open data from European Countries.
  • Federal Reserve System: Formulates and administer credit and monetary policy.

Provincial Government Data

Municipal Government Data Open Resources

Research Data Repositories

  • re3data: Access to multiple research data repositories. Search for datasets, or browse by country, content type, or subject.
  • FAIRshring: Offers a curated searchable overview of data and metadata standard.

General Research Data

  • OpenAIRE: A collection of interlinked research data based in Europe.
  • FRDR: National bilingual platform for sharing and preserving Canadian research data.
  • Borealis: The Canadian Dataverse Repository Houses multidisciplinary and bilingual Canadian data repository.
  • Mendeley Data: Free and secure cloud based communal repository for storing data for easy access.
  • Harvard dataserve: Free data repository open to all researcher from various discipline.
  • Kaggle: World's largest data set with powerful tools (you must evaluate each source individually).
  • Trade Data Online: Provides customer based statistics on international trade in goods. 

Evaluation

We evaluate throughout the search process to decide if a source is reliable and useful to our research. When we evaluate we question the data we are using. Where did the data come from? Who created it?

Remember: Not every dataset is ready for you to use, and not every dataset is appropriate or useful for your research. Every time you find a new potential dataset you should evaluate it.

To evaluate your dataset, ask yourself the following:

  • Date: Is this the most recent data? Do the dates align with my research question?
  • Location of the sample: Where was this data collected?
  • Data collection methods: How was this data collected? Are the methods valid?
  • Sample size: How big is the sample used for the data? Is it representative?
  • For your assignment: Does it help answer your research question? Is it ready to use in your assignment?

Citing Data in the APA Citation Style

There is no set standard citation guide for citing data. The citation will change depending on how and where the data is published. Use the following general references as a guideline.

General Reference: Published Data

Author names or name of group. (Year of Publication). Title of Publication (Version Number) [Data set]. Publisher Name OR DOI/URL.

General Reference: Unpublished Data

Author names or name of group. (Year the data was collected). Title of Publication (Version Number) [Data set]. Source of unpublished data OR DOI/URL.

Example Citation

O'Donohue, W.. (2017). Content analysis of undergraduate psychology textbooks (ICPSR 21600; Version V1) [Data set]. ICPSR. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36966.v1

  • In-text citation (direct quote): (O'Donohue, 2017)
  • In-text citation (paraphrase): (O'Donohue, 2017)

For more information on citing datasets and statistical data from databases, check out these links:

Citation Tips:

  • Cite even when you have created your own data visualization.
  • Cite when you have combined multiple datasets into one graph or chart.
  • Use the date of publication in the citation, not the date of the information.
  • There is no set standard for citing datasets in APA and you can always reach out to the Library for help.

Need more help?

If you would like more guidance on how to find data or how to cite data using APA please reach out to  [email protected] and the Library can help support your research further.
 

Intersession Notice

The library will be operating a reduced hours schedule from March 30 - April 10 for Intersession week. Check the events calendar and hours of operations for more details.