Research Assistance
Research assistance in the social sciences and humanities is available at the Charles E. Young Research Library. See research help for complete research service options.
Working with Numbers
When working with statistics, aggregate data, and microdata, it is important to consider a number of factors:
- Geography - the country, region, city, neighborhood
- Time Period - current, historical, over time, etc.
- Population/Units of Analysis - age, sex, race, ancestry, educational attainment/households, individuals
- Variables - responses to questionnaire and how they are organized
- Context - what is the hypothesis being investigated
- Questionnaire - what questions were asked; shows what will and won't be available in the data
- Availability - Sometimes the data you require was not collected, or was not arranged in the way that works best for your project. You may need to use multiple types of data from different sources as a way around this.
- Source - When you find data online, make sure it is clear from where (and when) the information originated.
The UCLA Data Archive's Tutorials provides excellent information about working with social science data, citing data sources, how to read codebooks, etc.
Visit the ATS Statistical Computing website for tutorials, online statistical publications, consulting, etc.
Working with Data
- DINAAThe Digital Index of North American Archaeology (DINAA) aggregates archaeological and historical data sets developed over the past century from numerous sources, especially state and federal government agencies.
- Registry of Anthropological Data WikiA project conducted by the American Anthropological Association, the registry represents a wide-ranging list of fieldnotes, ethnographic source materials, and data in countless digital and physical archives, produced by scores of anthropologists over the last century.
Statistics Guides
For more in-depth information about doing statistics research, visit the following subject guides:
- United States Census Statistics and InformationThis guide provides information about the various ways to get information from the U.S. Census.
Online Statistical Sources
Here are additional sources that contain statistical information about Pacific islands. Some are freely available while others are licensed resources.
- Explore Census Data (formerly American FactFinder)This is a new platform for accessing U.S. census data. American FactFinder moved to this new platform on March 31, 2020.
- Historical Statistics of the United States-Millennial Edition Online This link opens in a new window
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Searchable updated source of historical data on government statistics, including population, work and welfare, economics, and more. - Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) This link opens in a new window
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Large archive of surveys useful in secondary analysis and quantitative research. Includes political and election studies, education studies, population research, economic attitudes and behavior, social indicators, and studies on health status from the United States and many countries worldwide. Searches of holdings are possible using author, title, keyword, or study number. For assistance, ask at the Data Science Center.
- NationMasterGeneral stats on different countries, including some comparative data on specific crimes.
- OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window
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Online library of e-books, e-periodicals, and interactive statistical databases produced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). - ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the U.S. This link opens in a new window
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Comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States, from 2013 to the present. Volumes covering 1879-2012 are on the US Census site.
- Statistical Resources on the WebExcellent meta-source for data sets, arranged by general topic. Managed by the U. of Michigan Documents Center
- UNdataAccess point for various United Nations databases.
- UNICEF Data: Monitoring the Situation of Children and WomenUNICEF measures the situation of children and women and tracks progress through data collection and analysis.
- World Development IndicatorsLicensed resource.