WMU Research Guides: Data Science: Finding Datasets

What is a dataset?

There are a number of definitions of the term "dataset." Many books and articles use the term without defining it, as if it is self-explanatory. Data-Planet defines "dataset" as "A collection of related data items, eg, the responses of survey participants." (Data-Planet 2015). The Cambridge Dictionary of Statistics (4th Edition - 2006) defines a "data set" as a "general term for observations and measurements collected during any type of scientific investigation."

Sources for datasets

Data in Brief
Data in Brief is a multidisciplinary, open access, peer-reviewed journal, which publishes short, digestible articles that describe and provide access to research data.
Data.gov
The purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the U.S. government.

Sage Data This link opens in a new window
Provides access to more than 90 billion data points from dozens of licensed and public domain datasets. Scan the contents of the collection, select subjects and variables of interest, and view your data in side-by-side tables and charts. Results are instantaneous and can be easily exported.
Now includes State Stats, formerly on the Sage Stats platform

Google Public Data Explorer
Google helps make large datasets available through this specialized search engine. You can visualize the data, create customized datasets and share them. With a Google account you can keep track of your favorite datasets.

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) This link opens in a new window
Provides access to and archives of social science data. Areas of research range from crime, to economic indicators, to consumer behavior, and health information. Members of the Western Michigan community are eligible to access and download the data. When accessing certain data, users will be asked to either break out of the proxy and log in with their Google or Facebook account, or remain inside the proxy and create/log in with a MyData account here.

National Transportation Data Archive
The National Transportation Data Archive (NTDA) is intended to preserve and provide access to high-value, discrete datasets, created or aggregated the by Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). The NTDA also seeks to preserve other transportation research or statistical data sets, created by non-US DOT entities, within the borders of the United States, its territories, and possessions.
Re3data.org
This site is a "global registry of research data repositories that covers research data repositories from different academic disciplines. It presents repositories for the permanent storage and access of data sets to researchers, funding bodies, publishers and scholarly institutions." There is a search box for keyword searches, but you can also browse by subject, content type and country.
UNdata
Large searchable index to much of the datasets and statistics produced by the United Nations agencies.

Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) This link opens in a new window
NOTE: WRDS is upgrading account security by utilizing Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) by Duo Security. To learn more about WRDS two-factor authentication, please visit the following links:

How to Log In to WRDS Using WRDS 2FA by Duo
WRDS 2FA by Duo FAQ
Duo Security's Enrollment Guide

WRDS provides WMU users with over 50 datasets across multiple disciplines including accounting, banking, economics, finance, healthcare, insurance, marketing, statistics, and more. Users must create an account with their @wmich.edu email address.

First-time users must request approval for an account by clicking Register at the top of the WRDS home page. Account approval is mediated, which will cause a time delay between requesting access and receiving a confirmation message. There are several account types. You can click here for a complete list and description of account types.

WMU users who otherwise do not qualify for any of the listed account types can register for an Access Pass here. Accessing the WRDS platform through this method does not provide disk storage or access to the WRDS computing cloud.

Classroom Tools by WRDS is a teaching and learning toolkit designed specifically for faculty who are introducing finance and business concepts in the classroom.

World Bank Data Site
Provides tons of datasets about development in countries around the world.