Infographics

Data is important for supporting your key points. If you have your own data, you're ready to visualize it! However, not every infographic comes from original data. There are many places where you can obtain data to use for your infographic.

1. The Libraries Data Discovery guide possesses many resources pertaining to publicly available data. Within it, you can find local (Nevada) civic data (such as healthcare, education, environment, and crime statistics), US and international data, government data, and popular data resources.
2. Open data portals are another great resource for finding data for infographics. Open data is data that can be freely used or reused without restriction. Open data portals typically store data from specific locations, such as cities or sites, and often involve location-based information, including city statistics, crime information, geographical data, and more.
3. With funders and publishers increasingly requiring data to be made available as part of published research, data repositories are great sources for finding new data. Data repositories can be generalist or subject-specific. While generalist repositories accept most data, subject-specific ones focus on a specific discipline and can range from broad topics (such as Natural Science) to very specific (such as genome sequences).

Whenever getting data from a source, be sure to check to whether the data you're looking at can be reused and if there are any conditions surrounding its reuse, such as citation.

When conducting research for an infographic, it is important to begin with a clear goal in mind. This ensures that the data you gather directly supports your key message and strengthens the overall impact of your content.

1. Find credible sources – Use trustworthy and up-to-date sources such as academic databases, government websites, and reputable organizations to ensure the accuracy and reliability of your data.

• Government sites: Census.gov, CDC
• Academic databases: JSTOR, PubMed, Google Scholar
• Organizations: WHO, UNICEF

2. Organize your data – Collect and document your findings in a separate sheet. Record the source, key statistics, and publication date to keep your research easy to reference and avoid revisiting the same sources. 

• Source
• Key Statistic
• Year/Date

3. Filter for impact – Identify and retain only the most relevant and impactful data that directly supports your purpose.

• Prioritize quality over quantity-- too much data can overwhelm or confuse viewers.
• Eliminate information that is redundant or overly complex for readers