Finding Data on the Internet: An Overview for
Researchers
http://www.usc.edu/its/doc/statistics/help/multiuse/datasamples/netresources.shtml
last updated 2006.09.18
Social
Sciences sites | International
sites | United States sites |
Other
useful sites | Searching for
datasets on the
Internet |
USC Libraries' statistical databases | Basic
Print Resources
Comprehensive
sites:
University of Michigan Government Documents Library Statistical
Resources on
the Web
- Great place
to look for
links to other dataset archives on the web from the United States
and around
the world.
- Collection is
centered
primarily on social science-related datasets.
- Links to Data
Archives as well.
Yahoo
Data collections
- Links to data
collections
from around the world, including some specialized country data
archives that
are likely not found elsewhere.
Social
Sciences Data Collection (University of California, San Diego)--Data
on the Net
- Excellent
source for
social science data and other statistical data on the
Internet.
- SSDC search
engine allows
you to "Search for Social Sciences Data on the Net."
- Social
Science Data on
the Net has the most extensive listing of data sources on the
web.
- Data
Archives
has the most extensive listing of worldwide data libraries and
archives available
on the Internet.
- Searchable
Catalogs of
Database page has an extensive listing of databases with the
accompanying
search engine.
Social
Sciences
sites:
Cornell
Institute for Social and Economic Research (CISER)--Internet Data
Resources
for Social Scientists
- Incredibly
comprehensive
site with links to datasets, as well as research institutes,
online reference
tools including sourcebooks, statistical software customer support
contact
information, governmental agencies that collect data, etc.
- Direct
Access
to Selected Datasets on the Internet: links to many of the
most requested
sources from around the world.
Inter-university
Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
- The
world's largest archive of computerized social science data.
- USC is a
member of the consortium.
- USC Faculty,
Students and Staff can access and download data sets and related information.
International sites
Council
of European Social Science data archives (CESSDA)
International
Statistical Institute--Other web sites of possible interest
- Links to a
large number
of national statistical agencies and international organizations
that collect
statistics.
Nanyang
Technological University Library (Singapore)--Statistical Data
Locators
- Links to
international
statistical sources in Asia, Oceania, North America, Europe,
Africa and Latin
America.
United
States Information
Other
useful sites
Statistical
Reference Datasets
- National
Institute of
Standards and Technology website that provides "reference datasets
with certified
computational results that enable the objective evaluation of
statistical
software."
- Dataset
archives allow
one to test a databases' ability to perform ANOVA, linear and
nonlinear regression
and other statistical models.
Searching for datasets
on the Internet
The Google
search engine allows you to look specifically for
datasets.
To find dataset
files,
use the following nomenclature:
- Type
"+.insert type
of file" descriptive word or phrase
For
instance,
to find Excel files on poverty, you would type: "+.xls"
poverty
sample screen shot
- Click on the
"Google
Search" button underneath the search box
- List of
results will
appear
Nomenclature
for other
file formats:
- "+.sas" for
SAS format
- "+.sps" for
SPSS format
- "+.csv" for
comma-delimited
text file format
Searching for data
in USC Libraries' electronic databases
The USC
Libraries have subscriptions to a large number of electronic
resources, including
a number of statistical databases.
For brief
descriptions
and links into the databases themselves, click on the links
below:
Basic
Print Resources
- Statistical Abstract
of the United States (Doheny Reference, VKC Library, Leavey
Library, call
number HA202.A4 1999)
- Historical
Statistics
of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Doheny
Reference, VKC Library,
Leavey Library, call number HA202.A385 1976)
- Other print
resources
for special topics, i.e. ethnic and minority groups, etc. Search
HOMER,
or consult a librarian.
Statistics
Computing at USC
USC Libraries
Electronic Resources
This page was initiated by Chad Kahl and further developed by
Stephanie Davis.
It is currently maintained by
Gerald Jones, ITS Statistics
Software Specialist