SEARCH FOR A SPECIFIC KNOWN ARTICLE BY CITATION
To find an article when you have a citation (e.g. from a bibliography), you can search for the journal title in the HoyaSearch Journal Finder or search for the article title using the HoyaSearch Search By Citation or Google Scholar.
SEARCH FOR ARTICLES BY KEYWORD
Start by writing down your research topic or question, and then identify all the important concepts it contains. Develop keywords based on those important concepts. Also, try searching with the official terminology of the database. In the database's menus, look for a Thesaurus or Subject Terms link.
SEARCH FOR BOOKS AND OTHER MEDIA BY SUBJECT TERMS
When looking for books in HoyaSearch or other libraries' online catalogs, look for relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings to get you started. On each section of this guide, you will find a short (not comprehensive) list of potentially relevant terms.
ACCESS FULL TEXT OF ARTICLES
You have access to the full text of most (but not all) articles indexed in the library's databases. When you find an article of interest, look for links to the full text in PDF or HTML formats. Frequently these links will look like buttons similar to the ones below:
If you cannot access the full text, it may be because Georgetown does not subscribe to the journal. If we do not have a subscription, you can request a scanned copy of the article through Inter-Library Loan.
FIND DATA
Search in a Data Archive. Look within a data archive that collects within the general subject area which is relevant to your research question. Some key data archives are listed on the "Find Data" tab of this guide. You may also find useful resources on the "Numeric Data and Data Sets" research guide.
Identify Potential Producers. Ask yourself: Who might collect and publish this type of data? Then visit the organization’s website and see if you're right! Or, search for them as an author in HoyaSearch. These are some of the main types of data producers:
Government Agencies: The government collects data to aid in policy decisions and is the largest producer of data overall. For example, the U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Election Commission, Federal Highway Administration and many other agencies collect and publish data. To better understand the structure of government agencies read the U.S. Government Manual and browse FedStats. Government data is free and publicly available, but may require access through library resources or special requests.
Non-Government Organizations: Many independent non-commercial and nonprofit organizations collect and publish data that supports their social platform. For example, the International Monetary Fund, United Nations, World Health Organization, and many others collect and publish data. For more information about NGOs, visit Duke Libraries NGO Research Guide. Data from NGOs may be free or fee-based. The library subscribes to many NGO data resources, so be sure to check the library’s e-resources pages or catalog.
Academic Institutions: Academic research projects funded by public and private foundations create a wealth of data. Much of this type of data is free and publicly available, but may require access through library resources. Access to smaller original research projects may be dependent upon contacting individual researchers.
Private Sector: Commercial firms collect and publish data as a paid service to clients or to sell broadly. Examples include marketing firms, pollsters, trade organizations, and business information. This information is almost always is fee-based and may not always be available for public release.
Turn to the literature. Search for research studies based on secondary analysis of publicly available data sets. Unfortunately, citation of research data is often incomplete. Sometimes the best you will get is the title of the data set used, but check to see if the data or a related publication are cited and follow it up. Be a part of the solution; when you eventually publish, always cite your data!
Statistics lead to Data. Search for statistics relevant to your research question. When you find some, where do they come from? Can you track it down to the source survey or other data set?
Ask for help. Knowing when to call in reinforcements is important. Contact Holly Surbaugh or another subject expert librarian for assistance.
ACCESS DATA
Depending on which search strategy you used, you may have already found the dataset file download link directly on a website. Or, you may have just a reference/citation to a dataset or producer. Here are some common ways to find the dataset files themselves.
EVALUATE DATA
Also, remember that once you find a dataset, you need to evaluate it. Is it appropriate? Does it come from an authoritative source? Does it fit your needs? Always read the documentation and codebook to ensure that the analysis you are planning to do really measures what you want it to measure.
Adapted from the Michigan State University Libraries "How to Find Data & Statistics" guide
Superb 3-minute video by North Carolina State University Libraries on peer review, the process of determining whether an academic paper is suitable for publication in a scholarly journal.
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