TCSIG 330 Inquiry and Research in the Social Sciences
Quick Tips!
- If you are struggling to find datasets, try starting with research articles on your topic first. It may help you figure out what kind of variables (and terms) to search for when looking for the datasets.
- Guide to choosing appropriate datasets from Professor Linda Dawson.
Recommended Reference Sources
- What's a histogram or scatterplot? Sometimes reading different explanations and viewing additional examples can be helpful.
- Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics
- Tacoma Reference HA29 .S2363 2007
- Also available as an ebook
UW restricted
- Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics
- All the SPSS handbooks checked out? Give this one a try...
- Handbook of Univariate and Multivariate Data Analysis and Interpretation with SPSS (2006)
- Available as an ebook UW restricted
- Available as an ebook
- Handbook of Univariate and Multivariate Data Analysis and Interpretation with SPSS (2006)
Finding Journal Articles
- Check out the Subject Pages. These are great starting points for trying to figure out what article databases cover your topic.
- You might also try:
- PsycInfo UW restricted - Covers academic, research, and practice literature in psychology including relevant materials from related disciplines such as medicine, psychiatry, education, social work, law, criminology, social science, and organizational behavior; provides indexes to journals, dissertations, book chapters, books, technical reports, and other documents from 1872 to the present.
- Web of Science UW restricted - includes citations to articles ranging from the hard sciences to the social sciences as well as arts and humanities.
- Expanded Academic UW restricted- Scholarly and general interest sources in humanities, social sciences, and science and technology.
- PsycInfo
Finding Books
- UW Libraries Catalog - Books, journals, videos, and other materials
- Don't forget!! You can narrow your search down to UW Tacoma books if you're in a hurry.
- Worldcat [UW Beta-test Catalog]
- Discover books, articles, videos and materials from libraries around the world. Easy to request items not located in the UW Libraries!
Possible Sources for Finding Datasets
-
Statistical Universe UW restricted
- Provides abstracts and indexes of statistical information from over 100,000 U.S. government publications from 1973, state and private sources from 1980, and approximately 2000 documents from international organizations from 1983.
- Datasets from the U.S. Census Bureau
- You can view data from the Decennial Census, the Economic Census and the American Community Survey as well as create custom tables.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States - Statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States. Selected international data included.
- Pew Research Center Databank - "The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does so by conducting public opinion polling and social science research; by reporting news and analyzing news coverage; and by holding forums and briefings. It does not take positions on policy issues." (from the Pew "About the Center").
- You must register with the Center to access the datasets.
- University of Michigan Guide to Statistical Resources
- Yahoo! List of Data Collections
- Google Advanced Search
- You can combine the advanced search functions with the variable terms you are searching for.
- Try to limit by domain (.gov, .org, .edu)
- Try to limit by filetype (.xls, .sas, .csv)
- Try using the term dataset or "raw datasets" as a search term in combination with one of the variables that interests you.
Helpful Research Resources
- Connect to UW-restricted resources from off-campus
- Citation & Writing Guides (links to APA style guides).
- Guide to Scholarly Journals versus Popular Magazines
- Guide to the terms "peer reviewed" or "refereed"
- Contact Your Librarian:
- Erica Coe , Phone: 253-692-4651, Email: elcoe@u.washington.edu
