Navigate & Search for Datasets
Dataset sites have varied layouts, organization, and search capabilities.
- Some sites are better browsed by collections and categories than a search box.
- Use keywords when a search box is provided.
- Anticipate the words researchers would likely use. Experiment with keywords by going broad and alternatively going specific.
- Use quotations around phrases.
- A search for video games might return many results with the words separated, but "video games" can return results with the words in that exact order.
- Some search boxes will allow Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT.
- Use filters to refine search results.
Evaluate Datasets
Not all datasets are good. Evaluate them critically. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Who collected the data?
- What are their credentials? Are they respected experts?
- Who sponsored the data collection?
- Was it collected as part of an organization's mission? Or for advocacy? Or for business purposes? Or to mislead?
- When was the data collected?
- Is there more up-to-date data? Could the data be out-of-date or incomplete even if more recent data doesn't exist?
- Could the data be skewed?
- Could there be unintentional bias? Could there have been human error in the compilation process?
- Can you verify the data?
- How was the data gathered and compiled? Does the data align with similar data collected by others?
