Health Statistics

General information about Datasets 

• if your assignment requires analysis of a dataset, make sure it's available before you begin. 
• dataset may be spelled as one word or two. i.e. data set ; dataset.
• most datasets produced by the government and non-profit organizations are available for free.
• in general, it is more difficult to find datasets in older studies. 
• if you're unable to locate a dataset, try to contact the authors of the study. They may or may not give you permission to use the data. 

Tips for Finding Datasets

1. When you're searching for studies that include datasets, think about the population, subject/topic/problem and choose your search terms accordingly. The study may include the data, a citation or a link to it.  
2. You can search for datasets and information about them on libguides, the platform that this guide utilizes. Here's how: open your browser and run this search: libguide AND dataset AND [nutrition]. Insert whatever type of data you're looking for in place of nutrition.
3. Search a global repository such as re3data.org, a registry of research data repositories from many academic disciplines.
4. Search one of the datasets in the box below.
5. In some databases such as PsycINFO, you can set a limit for datasets.(advanced search/supplemental materials/data sets)
6. If a database doesn't have a limit/filter for datasets, add the term, dataset (or "data set") to you search query. In PubMed, dataset is a MeSH.
7. Run a search using Google's Dataset Search engine; it works in a similar way to Google Scholar.
8. Run a search in Google Scholar: 
   Open up Google Scholar from the Databases page.
   Click on the menu bar in the upper left and select Advanced Search.
   Enter your search terms in the appropriate boxes. 
   You can also run your search from the basic Google Scholar search box. 

Example: (datasets OR "data sets)" AND [your term here} e.g. (datasets OR "data sets") AND nutrition. The quotation marks around data sets ensures it will be run as a phrase.

 PubMed &  PubMed Central Records

PubMed - Look in the Secondary Information [ID] field or Linkout- More Resources
PubMed Central - Click on the Associated Data link on the left

Datasets can be difficult to search because they information is presented in different ways and may be incomplete. Consult HELP or the FAQ's when you get stuck, or contact your friendly librarian.