This page offers you some useful guiding questions to help you get started with research.

Remember to define your topic with enough flexibility to adapt to available data! Data is not available for every thinkable topic. Some data is private, must be purchased, uncollected, or unavailable. Be prepared to try alternative data.

Data is the raw information that is collected and/or recorded. Statistics is an interpretation and summary of data. In other words, statistics are used to provide meaningful conclusions about data. 

Data

If you want to understand a phenomenon, you want data. Data is used to create new information and knowledge. Raw data is the direct result of research, such as facts from a study or survey. It is a primary source. It usually comes in the form of a digital data set that can be analyzed using software such as Excel, SPSS, SAS, and so on.

Examples: Datasets, machine-readable data files, data files for statistical software programs

This is what a data set looks like:

Statistics

If you want to interpret a conclusion from the raw data about a phenomenon, you are using statistics. Statistical procedures often answer "why" or "how" from data. In other words, a statistic repeats a pre-defined observation about reality.

Examples: Statistical tables, charts, and graphs; Reported numbers and percentages in an article

This is what a statistical table looks like:

Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States

• Government Agencies
  • The government collects data to aid in policy decisions and is the largest producer of statistics overall.
  • For example, the U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Election Commission, Federal Highway Administration and many other agencies collect and publish data. 
• Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)
  • Many independent non-commercial and nonprofit organizations collect and publish statistics that support their social platform.
  • For example, the International Monetary Fund, United Nations, World Health Organization, and many others collect and publish statistics.
• Academic Institutions
  • Academic research projects funded by public and private foundations create a wealth of data.
  • For example, the Michigan State of the State Survey publish statistics based on their data collection projects. Some statistical publications are available freely online, but others may require access through library resources.
• Private Sector
  • Commercial firms collect and publish data and statistics as a paid service to clients or to sell broadly.
  • For example, marketing firms, pollsters, trade organizations, and business information. This information is almost always fee-based and unavailable for public release. The library does subscribe to some commercial data services, particularly through the business library