Undergraduate Guide to Using Data: Finding Data

Using the UW Libraries

Many of these resources are primarily focused on articles, but also provide the means to search for datasets and collections.

To search for data, make sure you are restricting your search to formats that only include materials such as “downloadable archival materials”, “datasets”, “data papers”, or similar.

• UW’s A-Z Database page
  Contains an index of all the databases the UW Libraries has access to. Includes many useful resources, such as DataPlanet, PolicyMap, Global Health Data Exchange, and more. Direct links to some of the data-focused resources include:
  • DataPlanet, provides immediate access to statistical datasets from many different private and public sources. The datasets cover many different subject areas. Data Planet also helps users create charts, maps, graphs, and tables, with descriptive summaries and citations.
  • PolicyMap, online mapping with data on demographics, real estate, health, jobs and more in communities across the United States.
  • Global Health Data Exchange, a collection of surveys, censuses, vital statistics, and other health-related data.
• UW Libraries Search
  Search all of the online and physical resources UW has access to. Also check UW Libraries Search: Search and Filter for more information on how to improve your searches within this database. 
• WorldCat
  Can’t find a resource available to UW Libraries or our Summit partners? Check WorldCat’s collection of over 10,000 libraries worldwide and request a resource through InterLibrary Loan (ILL). 
• Web of Science
  A citation index for the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities. 
• Subject Librarians and Research Guides related to your subject can also provide you with excellent resources for finding data.

Library guides for select topics

• Clinical Data
  The Health Sciences Library (HSL) contains excellent resources on locating clinical data, including electronic health records, patient registries, and clinical trial data.
• Geospatial Data Resources
  This library guide introduces UW Libraries resources for digital geospatial data for research and educational use.
• International Inter-Governmental & Non-Governmental Organizations
  Contains sources for international statistical data.
• Washington State Data
  Contains information for locating data about Washington State, such as demographic data, city and county data, transportation data, and more.

UW Campus Resources

• The UW Data Collaborative (UWDC)
  Helps to connect UW-affiliated researchers with sensitive (potentially identifying) or hard-to-access data. To request access to data, researchers must first fill out the “Request Access” form. 
• The UW Center for Social Science Computation and Research (CSSCR)
  Provides access to social science data archives, such as The American Community Survey (ACS), Decennial Census Data, and access to the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) catalogue. The CSSCR also hosts regular workshops that focus on research data management and analysis.

Outside the UW & Open Data Resources

• Google Scholar 
  Contains scholarly materials across many disciplines and sources.
  • You can also connect Google Scholar with the UW Libraries, ensuring access to full texts through your UW account.
  • Another Google resource is Google’s Public Data Explorer, which provides access to several open (publically accessible) datasets.
• Data.gov
  Provides open access to over 300,000 datasets on the U.S. government, including topics such as agriculture, climate, politics, and healthcare.
  • Where available, Data.gov also includes some datasets from non-federal sources, such as cities and states, as well as non-U.S. countries.
• Looking local? The City of Seattle’s Open Data page also provides access to datasets on a number of topics. 

Other Resources

Can’t find what you’re looking for? UW Special Collections’ “How Do I Find…?” page contains advice on finding less conventional data, such as archival materials.

Want to improve your searching skills and get more accurate results? Check out UW’s Guide on Phrase, Boolean, and Wildcard Searching. Also check the UW Libraries Undergraduate Researcher Tutorial on Canvas for more search tips and information.

You may also be considering collecting your own data to use for your capstone, research paper, honor’s thesis, or other research project, as opposed to utilizing previously published data. Remember to weigh the ethical considerations of your data collection, and contact your research advisor for more information on IRB requirements, collecting sensitive information, and de-identifying data.

The Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology (CSDE) provides data services consultations that can advise you through the process of collecting and organizing your data.

Looking into text or data mining? Check out the UW Libraries guide for more information on APIs, downloading datasets, and direct web scraping.