Datasets are essential components of research and analysis across various disciplines. They serve as collections of organized, structured, and often large sets of data that provide valuable insights and evidence. Begin your research by defining your topic. Then conduct online searches using search engines and available academic databases, focusing on specific keywords related to your field. Explore data repositories, government websites, and collective platforms. Always review dataset licensing and permissions, and carefully assess dataset quality and relevance for your research needs. And, of course, reach out to a librarian for recommended datasets and other research questions. The following information can provide a starting point as you begin your investigation…but, remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg!
Statista: Statista is a comprehensive online platform that provides access to a vast array of statistical data, insights, and infographics across a wide range of topics and industries. It is a valuable resource for businesses, researchers, marketers, and students seeking data-driven insights and visualizations.
ScienceDirect: ScienceDirect includes journals from the Health Sciences, Social Sciences and the Humanities and content associated with the research, such as audio and video files, datasets, and other supplementary content.
PubMed: PubMed provides access to a vast collection of biomedical and life sciences research articles and datasets.
Mintel: Mintel is a market research and consumer behavior analysis database that provides comprehensive and in-depth information on various industries, markets, and consumer trends. Complex demographic issues are broken into easy-to-understand sections, explaining consumer behavior and demonstrating the structure of the market. Reports may be downloaded as RTF (rich-text format) files; tabular data may also be saved as CSV (comma-separated values) files. New and updated reports are released monthly.
Citing datasets is crucial in research to give proper credit to data creators, enable reproducibility, and provide transparency. Proper citation not only acknowledges the data's source but also allows others to locate and verify the data, contributing to the integrity of research and fostering collaboration within the academic and scientific community. Check our Citation LibGuide for more information!
Google Datasets: Google's Dataset Search engine helps you discover datasets from various sources, making it easier to locate data on specific topics.
Data.gov: The U.S. government's open data portal offers a vast collection of datasets on topics ranging from demographics and health to transportation and the environment.
DataHub: DataHub hosts a wide range of datasets in areas such as economics, social sciences, government data, and more. It also provides tools for data exploration and visualization.
Kaggle: Kaggle is a platform for data science and machine learning that offers a dataset repository with datasets related to various industries and research areas.
European Data Portal: This portal provides access to open data from European countries, including government data, statistics, and geospatial information.
GitHub: GitHub hosts a variety of datasets shared by individuals and organizations. You can find datasets on a wide range of topics by searching on the platform.
CDC Data and Statistics: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers datasets related to public health, disease surveillance, and epidemiology.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI): NCEI provides access to environmental and climate-related data, including weather, oceanography, and climate datasets.
City-Data: City-Data is an online resource and community-driven website that provides a wealth of information and data about cities and neighborhoods across the United States. It serves as a valuable tool for individuals looking to research and explore various aspects of cities, towns, and regions.
PEW Research Center: The Pew Research Center offers scholars access to raw data sets from their expansive research.
