Data & Statistics Research Guide

Data is the raw information from which statistics are created:

• Factual information: observational, experimental, simulated.
• Example: machine-readable data files for statistical software programs.
• Data can be analyzed and interpreted using statistical procedures to answer “why” or “how.” 
• Data is used to create new information and knowledge.

Statistics provide an interpretation and summary of data:

• Numerical data organized and interpreted.
• Statistics are the results of data analysis. It usually comes in the form of a table, chart or graph.

Information can be free, require payment, freely available, or private. Common sources of information include:

• Government Agencies – information funded by tax revenue is frequently free.
• Non-Profit organizations.
• Academic Institutions.
• Private Sector – consider U.S. patent research.

Consider adding context terms when formulating queries:

• Analyst reports
• Articles
• Company profiles
• Country profiles
• Economic indicators
• Financial markets
• Industry market research
• Data repositories

Understanding where information could potentially be located:

• Academic Databases
• Government
  • Unites States
  • International
• Organizations
• Private sector

To find datasets stored across 1000s of repositories on the Web, view our data portal page.