Research Guides: Sociology: Find Methods, Datasets, & Stats

Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics
This is a great source if you need to know how to create a specific kind of chart or graph, need a definition of a statistics term, or if you need help with a specific statistical test

Sage Research Methods This link opens in a new window
A research methods tool created to help researchers, faculty and students with their research projects, linking over 100,000 pages of SAGE's book, journal and reference content with advanced search and discovery tools. Researchers can explore methods concepts to help them design research projects, understand particular methods or identify a new method, conduct their research, and write up their findings. Since SAGE Research Methods focuses on methodology rather than disciplines, it can be used across the social sciences, health sciences, and more.

ICPSR -Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research This link opens in a new window
ICPSR is the world's largest collection of digital social science data which can be used for secondary research, instructional activities, and to write articles, papers or theses - set up MyData account to begin. First-time users will be asked to create an ICPSR MyData account which must be done from an on-campus computer. Once the account is created, access is from anywhere. The account remains active for 6 months, after which time it must be reactivated from an on-campus computer.

Data.gov
The US Government's open data portal. Contains data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and more.
World Bank Open Data
Free and open access to global development data.

Statista This link opens in a new window
Provides access to statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources on over 600 industries.
Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
Provides comprehensive summary of statistics on these major topics: Population, Health, Education, Crime, Environment, Government, Human Services, Labor Force, Income, Prices, Business, Science, Agriculture, Energy, Construction, Manufacturing, Trade, Transportation, Information and Communication, Finance, and Arts. The source notes can be used to find more detailed tables and machine-readable datasets.

County Health Rankings
The annual County Health Rankings measure vital health factors, including high school graduation rates, obesity, smoking, unemployment, access to healthy foods, the quality of air and water, income inequality, and teen births in nearly every county in America.
American FactFinder
Data about the United States, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas, from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Features demographic research mapping tools that allow for demographic data analysis. The main goal is to visually display the demographic change that has occurred in the U.S. since 1790 through present down to the zip code or a city block level.