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While the terms ‘data’ and ‘statistics’ are often used interchangeably, in scholarly research there is an important distinction between them. Take a look at the table below to see how data and statistics differ.
| Data | Statistic |
| Not created to answer a single question, can be analyzed to answer many possible questions | Answers a specific, single question such as "how often...", "what percentage...", "how many..." |
| Often expressed in spreadsheets or machine-readable files | Often presented in tables, graphs, or percentages |
| Requires analysis to be communicated | Is the result of analysis and interpretation |
So, as you begin your search, make sure to clarify if you need data or statistics. If you need a quick figure or simple fact, check statistics! If you want raw information without analysis or interpretation, seek out the data or follow a statistic to its source.
Finding the right data can be hard, especially because data is created, shared, and published by so many different people in so many different ways. The tips below provide some guidance in finding data for your research. For more help, browse the pages to the left for data portals, organized by discipline.
Think of the conclusions you'd like to find, and consider what types of data would inform your research. Ask yourself: "How would one measure this topic?"
For example, if you were interested in food insecurity in college students, you might look at data from the US Department of Agriculture regarding food security in the United States.
Increasingly, organizations and researchers are making data available. In considering your information need, ask yourself: "Who might collect and publish this type of data?" Common data producers include government agencies, non-commercial or nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and commercial firms in the private sector.
For example, if you were interested in food insecurity in college students, you might explore data collected by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice.
Search for research studies related to your topic, and see if they analyze publicly available data. When you search for literature on your topic, you might begin to recognize commonly used data, which you can search for directly.
For example, if you were interested in food insecurity in college students, you might see what data Dr. Freudenberg references in his article, "College Students and SNAP: The New Face of Food Insecurity in the United States."