What is the population of Allen County by age and sex? What is the unemployment rate in Indiana for the last quarter? How many K-12 children in the United States attend public vs. private schools? How many gallons of gasoline did the U.S. consume last year? What is the latest consumer price index?
The demand for statistics is insatiable. Individuals and organizations depend upon accurate data to make daily decisions. They are essential in planning, studying trends, making decisions, and evaluating results.
The U.S. government, especially the U.S. Census Bureau, is the largest collector of statistics in the world. Some federal agencies exist solely for the purpose of collecting and disseminating statistics: the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the National Center for Education Statistics are only a few. In addition, most organizations collect statistics for their own internal use and as required by their governing body. In fact, it is important to always identify the source of data to determine it reliability and possible bias. Collectors of statistics include:
Associations and Foundations
Chambers of Commerce and economic development organizations
Colleges and Universities
Corporations and Businesses
Governments and government agencies
Independent survey, polling, market research, and data organizations
Interest groups: advocacy, religious, and nonprofit organizations
International organizations
Trade and professional organizations
In the best of all possible worlds there would be one searchable database of all statistics. Unfortunately, there is no such source. Statistics can be found in summary form in such publications as almanacs, handbooks, rankings, statistical abstracts, and yearbooks,. In-depth studies on a topic usually include statistics and are reported in books, scholarly journals, newspapers, such as the New York Times, research reports, and dissertations. In addition the Internet has revolutionized the availability of statistics. Many organizations report current data online. There is no one correct way to locate statistics. Following are some tips for locating statistical data from a variety of sources:
Tip: Read the table carefully, noting how the statistics are presented. Use the source note to identify where the data was abstracted from, and to lead to more statistics on the topic.
Tip: Internet search engines, such as Google and AltaVista, are still not effective tools for locating specific facts or figures, but can be effective in locating the source of possible statistical data. It is best to identify the possible source of the data first, and then use an Internet search engine to locate the Web site for that source.
Tip: When using online resources such as databases and indexes, and Web search engines, take a few minutes to become familiar with the source's search parameters. Does the database use controlled vocabulary or have an online thesaurus, such as IUCAT Catalog (Indiana University's online library catalog) and Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost)? Does it search words within full-text, such as LexisNexis Academic (LexisNexis)? What are the default search operators, rules for truncation, and exact phrase searching, such as the National Center for Health Statistics' Web Search
Tip: Experiment with terminology. Use search terms that indicate the possibility of statistical content, such as data, research, reports, publications, facts, factsheets, library, poll, study, survey, rankings, ratings, and trends.
Tip: When searching the Web, browsing and searching complement each other. Searching key words does not always work. Browsing is an equally important strategy. If one does not work try the other. Follow any relevant links.
Tip: Data on a subject may be collected in a variety of ways by different organizations. For example, various aspects of environmental data is collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of the Census, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Tip: Statistics aren't always available in the way you need them. They are presented in varying time, geographic, and mathematical formats. In addition, online sources may provide statistics in pdf, excel spreadsheets, csv files, tiff images, and other formats.
Tip: Decide when to keep looking for relevant data, and when to either refer the question to a data expert or settle for the data as presented in the best sources located.
Tip: Use reputable sources. Know or become familiar with the organization that produces the data, so that you can better judge its reliability.
Tip: Always read the footnotes and any other notes about the method of data collection and the presentation of the data.
Tip: Beware of unknown, unclear, or changing definitions and methodologies.
Tip: Question results that appear suspicious. Verify data with another source if necessary, especially data that may come from a biased or partisan source.
