The Reference Guide to Data Sources

This concise sourcebook takes the guesswork out of locating the best sources of data, a process more important than ever as the data landscape grows increasingly cluttered. Much of the most frequently used data can be found free online, and this book shows readers how to look for it with the assistance of user-friendly tools. This thoroughly annotated guide will be a boon to library staff at public libraries, high school libraries, academic libraries, and other research institutions, with concentrated coverage of

• Data sources for frequently researched subjects such as agriculture, the earth sciences, economics, energy, political science, transportation, and many more


• The basics of data reference along with an overview of the most useful sources, focusing on free online sources of reliable statistics like government agencies and NGOs


• Statistical datasets, and how to understand and make use of them


• How to use article databases, WorldCat, and subject experts to find data


• Methods for citing data


• Survey Documentation and Analysis (SDA) software

This guide cuts through the data jargon to help librarians and researchers find exactly what they're looking for.