Home > Research Guides > Beginner's Guide to Locating and Using Numeric Data

This guide provides a starting point for researchers who are new to using numeric data. It includes basic resources for locating data and using statistical software.


• Quick Data Definitions
• Data Tutorials
• "Quick Look-Up" Data Resources
• Selected Data Indexes and Guides
• Micro-level Data Resources
• Statistical Resources
  • R and S-Plus
  • Stata
  • SPSS
  • SAS
  • General
    

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Quick Data Definitions

Summary-Level Data: Summary-level data are published data points in either print or electronic format. You would use summary- level data if you were looking for a quick statistic such as the unemployment rate for the current month or if you wanted to see a table of statistics, such as GNP for various countries during a specific time period.

Micro-Level Data: Micro-level data files are the numerically-coded results of individual responses to such files as the census questionnaires, public opinion surveys, etc. You have much more flexibility to work with the data and run statistical analyses on the extracted data. The data are in an unanalyzed, raw format of columns and rows, usually in ASCII format but not always. Some raw data files are accompanied by files in SPSS, SAS or other statistical software format for easier use in these packages. If you are working with only the raw data, you must consult the data documentation (codebook) and write a small program or use an extraction program to have the computer "read" in the data into a useable format.

Data Documentation/Codebooks: Codebooks provide information on the structure, content, and layout of a data file and the questionnaire, if any, used for the survey or study. Many codebooks are available electronically with the data file.

 

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Data Tutorials

Harvard-MIT Data Center
This website provides access to data tutorials; FAQ’s; data search tools and data downloading and extraction methods; data class schedules.

Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
This data use tutorial provides new users with explanations of data terminology, data formats and ways to search, access and download datasets.

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"Quick Look-Up" Data Resources

United States

Statistical Abstract of the United States
The "National Data Book" contains statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States. There is also a section on Comparative International Statistics, which includes information on finance, agriculture, population, communication, vital statistics and more. This resource is available in print, CD-ROM and online. The online edition provides information in excel and .pdf format and the CD-ROM provides spreadsheet files. There is a "Summary Statistics" section which provides access to USA Statistics in Brief, Historical Statistics including population, immigration, financial, and health data for as far back as 1900, and State Rankings for various topics including population, income and employment. It also has a link to a guide to statistical sources.

Fedstats
Fedstats is a gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies. It provides official statistical information collected by the Federal Government. This site provides links to data as well as the agencies that collect and disseminate the data. Data includes economic, healthcare, education, crime, foreign trade, and energy use. Searchable by topic or federal agency.

Lexis Nexis Statistical/Lexis Nexis (Harvard E-resource)
Statistical tables from selected United States government publications, state government publications, business and association publications, and international inter-governmental sources. Tables are in PDF and/or comma-separated variable (CSV) format.

TableBase/Responsive Database Services (Harvard E-resource)
TableBase provides data in a tabular format. TableBase collects data from over 1000 publications, including privately published statistical annuals, trade associations, government agencies, non-profit research groups, and industry reports prepared by investment research groups. The data that is available includes market share, company and brand rankings, industry and product forecasts, production and consumption statistics, imports and exports, usage and capacity, number of users/outlets, trends and demographics.

International

International Historical Statistics Series / B.R. Mitchell; Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York, N.Y. : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

Africa, Asia & Oceania, 1750-2005

Europe, 1750-2005

the Americas, 1750-2005

Lexis Nexis Statistical/Lexis-Nexis (Harvard E-resource)
Statistical tables from selected United States government publications, state government publications, business and association publications, and international inter-governmental sources. Tables are in PDF and/or comma-separated variable (CSV) format.

UN Data Access System/United Nations
The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has a new internet based data service for the global user community.  It brings UN statistical databases within easy reach of users through a single entry point.  Topics included are agriculture, education, employment, energy, environment, industry, national accounts, population, trade and tourism.

United Nations Statistical Yearbook / United Nations (print/CD-ROM)
The United Nations Statistical Yearbook is an annual compilation of a wide range of international economic, social and environmental statistics on over 200 countries and areas of the world, compiled from sources including UN agencies and other international, national and specialized organizations.

World Development Indicators / The World Bank (Harvard E-resource)
WDI (World Development Indicators) Online contains statistical data from the World Bank for almost 600 development indicators and time series data from 1960 for over 200 countries and 18 country groups. Data includes social, economic, financial, natural resources, and environmental indicators. Results can be scaled, indexed against a particular year, viewed by percentage change, and charted. Data can be exported in Excel.

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Selected Data Indexes and Guides

United States

Data and metadata reporting and presentation handbook / Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2007.

The Economist's Handbook: A Research and Writing Guide / Thomas L. Wyrick; Minneapolis/St. Paul: West Pub. Co., 1994.

Finding & Using Economic Information: a Guide to Sources and Interpretation / David B. Johnson; Mountain View, Calif.: Mayfield Pub. Co., 1993.

Lexis-Nexis Statistical Abstracts
Bibliographic database which indexes and abstracts the statistical content of selected United States government publications (ASI, 1973--), state government publications, business and association publications (SRI, 1980-), and international inter-governmental sources (IIS). Allows limiting to one or more components. Some full-text is available electronically (GIF, PDF, CSV, Excel). All publications are available in microfiche in Research Services in Lamont, Level B.

International

Data and metadata reporting and presentation handbook / Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2007.

Finding & Using Economic Information: a Guide to Sources and Interpretation / David B. Johnson; Mountain View, Calif.: Mayfield Pub. Co., 1993.

Global Data Locator / George Thomas Kurian; Lanham, Md.: Bernan Press, 1997.

INSTAT--International Statistics Sources: Subject Guide to Sources of International Comparative Statistics / edited by Michael C. Fleming and Joseph G. Nellis; London, New York: Routledge, 1995.

International Business Information: How to Find It, How to Use It / Ruth A. Pagell and Michael Halperin; Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press, 1998.

Lexis-Nexis Statistical Abstracts
Bibliographic database which indexes and abstracts the statistical content of selected United States government publications (ASI, 1973--), state government publications, business and association publications (SRI, 1980-), and international inter-governmental sources (IIS). Allows limiting to one or more components. Some full-text is available electronically (GIF, PDF, CSV, Excel). All publications are available in microfiche in Research Services in Lamont, Level B.

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Micro-level Data Resources

IQSS Dataverse Network
IQSS Dataverse provides access to Harvard's Murray Research Archive, as well as these other large data collections:  ICPSR, NARA (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration), Roper Center, and The DataWeb (U.S. Census Bureau).  Numeric Data Services and other smaller collections can also be searched.  Data can be downloaded if permissions allow and in some cases subset for analysis.

Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
Largest machine-readable social science data archive in the world; based at the University of Michigan.The ICPSR site includes a data use tutorial. The ICPSR datsets available at Harvard are archived in the IQSS Dataverse Network.

Roper Center for Public Opinion
The Roper Center for Public Opinion provides access to summary-level (aggregate) and micro-level (raw) public opinion data. While the data collection focuses strongly on United States public opinion, it also includes growing collections of (micro-level) European, Latin American (Latin American Databank) and Japanese (JPOLL) polls. The data archive (micro-level data) is searchable by keyword, date, and survey organization. The iPOLL database (summary-level data) is searchable by keyword, subject /or survey organization and survey sponsor; it provides question and response level data. The Roper Center resources require users to set up individual accounts in order to gain access to the data.

Internet Crossroads in the Social Sciences Data and Program Library Service, University of Wisconsin-Madison
This website provides over 600 links (each link includes a brief description) to summary-level and micro-level data sites. The site is organized by subject. Subjects include crime, education, labor, religion, history, health.