Other Research Guides
Finding datasets is actually a common task in many disciplines. Some useful, topically relevant sites are provided in the box to the right, but if you would like additional guidance or resources related to this task, you may want to check out the research guides below.
- Data & Statistics Research Guide @ Olin LibraryCreated by our business librarian.
Finding Datasets
Some journal articles include datasets among their supplementary material. Such articles can be found in various databases, including PubMed and Statistical Insights. An especially useful repository to check is Dryad. Additionally, many government agencies and other instutions publish data online. The databases and websites below are all places that might have useful datasets. Keep in mind data files may be in a variety of formats. Some will be Excel, Word, or PDF, but many may require special software in order to be opened.
- CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Official website for the CDC.
- Data.gov"The home of the U.S. Government's open data." Search by topic. Note that you can refine by format to include just CSV or XLS documents (both of which can be read by Excel).
- Dryad"An international repository of data underlying peer-reviewed articles in the basic and applied biosciences." Dryad is governed by a consortium of journal publishers.
- EPAWebsite of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
- G3: Genes, Genomes, GeneticsAn open access, peer-reviewed journal of genetics research. Most articles contain "Supporting Information," which may include PDF versions of data used in the results.
- GigascienceAn open access, peer-reviewed journal that focuses on "big data." Many articles will have an "Additional files" or an "Availability of supporting data" option, which will let you download any associated data. File formats will vary.
- PubMed This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Search using MeSH (change the dropdown at the top from PubMed to MeSH) and then select "statistics and numerical data" as a subheading.
- Scientific DataAn open access, peer-reviewed journal from the publishers of Nature "for descriptions of scientifically valuable datasets."
- UNICEFWebsite for the United Nations' Children's Rights & Emergency Relief Organization. Includes many worldwide statistics related to global health.
- WHO (World Health Organization)Website for the World Health Organization, the health authority of the United Nations.