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Data Discovery: Resources for Finding Data

A guide containing a collection of data sources. These sources are separated by location (i.e. local vs. international) or by subject.

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Introduction

This guide is designed to help you locate datasets for secondary data analysis, research that uses existing data collected by another researcher, organization, or institution. Whether you're working on a class project, grant proposal, or scholarly article, using existing data can save time, reduce costs, and help you make the most of available resources. Finding the right dataset is often the first step in a successful research project.

Throughout this guide you’ll find links to a variety of open data portals, government and nonprofit repositories, discipline-specific databases, and licensed resources. Some datasets are freely accessible to the public, while others may require certain credentials, fees, or special permission to use.

Where Do I Start

Ideas for Finding Data

Define your data needs.

  • What: What type of data do you need (spreadsheets, interview transcripts, social media posts, photographs, etc.)?
  • Where: Is the data tied to a specific location (city, county, state, regional, etc.)?
  • When: Is there a time frame you're interested in? (1914-1918, 2000s, last 3 years, etc.)?
  • How: Do you want the data to be broken down in categories (sex, age, income, ethnicity, industry)

Think about who might collect the data. Oftentimes, datasets are published with reports or in data repositories.

  • Government agencies*
  • Nonprofits
  • Private Business
  • Academic Researcher
  •  

Look for publications that cite the dataset.

  • Scholarly Article
  • Government Report
  • Grey Literature

Once you know the dataset exists, confirm whether you have access and space to download the data. If it's not freely available, please check with a librarian to determine if the library subscribes to the database. Some researchers also take data requests, so feel free to reach out to them.

*If you are experiencing difficulty finding a previously published dataset, below is a list of places to browse to find the desired information.

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