Guides: Data and Statistics Sources : Home

Reference Books

Don't understand terminology or basic priniciples of statistics? These reference works may be of help.

Cambridge Dictionary of Statistics
Call Number: E-book
ISBN: 0521860393
Publication Date: 2002
The SAGE Dictionary of Statistics
Call Number: EBook
ISBN: 9780761941385
Publication Date: 2004

Reference Web Sites

ISI Multilingual Glossary of Statistical Terms
From the International Statistical Institute, contains terms in English, Greek, Arabic, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Chinese, and Farsi
OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms
This site contains definitions of the main data items collected by the OECD. It also contains definitions of key terminology and concepts and commonly used acronyms.

Starting Points

Social Explorer
Requires Cal Poly Pomona Log In
U.S. Census Data from 1790 - present. Browse data, build and download customized reports, and construct interactive maps on subjects like housing, race, employment, occupation, income level, and more.
Historical Statistics of the United States
The standard source for the quantitative facts of American history. Includes over 37,000 data series from more than 1,000 sources covering population, work and welfare, economic structure and performance, economic sectors, and governance and international relations.
NationMaster
Compiled data from prominent sources. This site provides comparative national statistics on a variety of topics. In many cases, statistics can also be displayed as bar graphs, charts, or maps. Data sources include "the CIA World Factbook, United Nations, World Health Organization, World Bank, World Resources Institute, UNESCO, UNICEF and OECD." The site also offers other sections, such as single-country profiles, an encyclopedia, flags, and more.
StateMaster
This site provides comparative U.S. state statistics on a variety of topics. In many cases, statistics can also be displayed as bar graphs, charts, or maps. Data sources include the "US Census Bureau, FirstGov.gov, the FBI, Bureau of Justice, and various other governmental and non-profit organizations." The site also offers other sections, such as single-state profiles, flags, and maps.

Library Databases

ICPSR
The ICPSR (InterUniversity Consortium for Political and Social Science Research) is a vast data archive of political and social science data for research and instruction. Remote access is available for Cal Poly Pomona students and faculty. Data are browsable and searchable within broad subject areas (demographic, survey, behavioral, housing, etc.), by alphabet (series data) and by country . Use of these data requires SPSS, SAS, or similar software.
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Documentation and data files from the Roper Center's public opinion studies in Roper Express, iPOLL, Public Opinion Matters!,Survey Spotlights, NSF Surveys, and election polls. Accesses approximately 75% of the Center's studies in the U.S. and some recent studies outside the U.S.

Other Sources for Finding Statistics

Almanacs, factbooks, and even general books may be good sources for statistics. You can search the Library catalog by entering statistics in one subject search box and in a separate subject search box enter the topic on which you are trying to find statistics.

You can also find statistics in articles. Enter "statistics" as a subject search term, along with your topic, in a database such as Academic Search Premier.

Organizations and associations may provide statistical information on their Web sites. Asking yourself, "Who is interested in this topic" can suggest valuable resources for finding statistics. For example, the American Bar Association provides statistics on legal education. (Make sure you think critically about the source, considering, for instance, the association's purpose and agenda. Click here to learn more.)

Searching for a research guide on finding statistics in your topic area can be another effective strategy. In your favorite search engine, try entering your subject and statistics and "research guide."

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