Finding Data Sets
Finding data sets for this project requires being thoughtful and creative as you look for interesting information. Remember that you will want to look for information in excel format (.xls, .xlsx., or .csv) and around 200 rows or larger. Check the two boxes below to find places that might help you to find either databases that list data sets, or scholarly articles that may include data sets. This may involve some hunting around.
Finding Data Sets in Databases
This link heads to a government website of .xls files. Topics covered by the files include, but are not limited to:
- Wages
- Hours worked
- Price changes over time
- Other cool topics related to work and/or money.
- Open US Government DataFind all sorts of open government data sets (and in some cases, extra databases) by searching this resource
Find all sorts of open government data sets (and in some cases, extra databases) by searching this resource.
Nearly everyone should be able to find a data set related to their topic here, including:
- Health
- Human behaviors
- Science, including the weather, agriculture
- Crime and related topics
Search by your topic and then limit by type of file once you've seen results. (See the highlighted area below as an example.)
Find data and not sure what to do?
If possible, visit the landing page for the original data set which will also give you more information: what data was collected, by whom? What information do the columns and rows contain?
- City of Chicago data setsFind Chicago-specific data related to health, the environment, crime, transportation and more. Not all data sets will be available as .csv files.
- GoogleTry searching for your topic and "data" and see what you might find.
Nearly every topic should have results for this.
Be careful not to download files that look suspicious or troubling.
Finding Data Sets from Scholarly Articles
PsycArticles is a good database to use for topics related to the following:
- Psychology, Mental Health, Neurodiversity
- Education
- Sleep
One cool feature of PsycArticles is that you can narrow to scholarly articles with datasets by using the Advanced Search options on the database home screen:
- Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new windowAdd the words "Supplemental Materials" to the second or third search bar, and be prepared to look at a couple of options.
Academic Search Ultimate is a good place to look for scholarly articles that may include longer data sets. ASU covers a ton of topics, including:
- Science/Health
- the Social Sciences
- Current Topics
When you search, you'll want to use "Supplemental Materials" in your search box in addition to the topic you're looking for.
- Science DirectAdd the words "Supplemental Materials" to your search here as well and be prepared to look at a couple of options.
Science Direct is the best source for scientific scholarly articles. Try searching for your topic and "Supplemental Materials" to see what results you get.
Click on the title of an article that looks interesting to you, and then look for the words "Supplemental Materials" and a link. This may occur in the article "Table of Contents" to the side and allow you to immediately download files.
Or may appear somewhere else (at the end of the abstract, or the end of the article) and include a link to an external site.