Data Services

Things to consider when evaluating a dataset or other data resource:

time

1. How recent was the data gathered?
2. Is it cross-sectional or longitudinal data?
3. Does it cover the time period (e.g., current vs. historical) that you are researching?

relevance

1. Does the data cover the matter you are investigating?
2. Does the data cover the geographical area or level (e.g., international vs. national vs. state vs. local) you are researching?

data attributes

1. How big is the data set?
2. What variables does it contain?
3. What types of data are included?
   1. discrete vs. continuous?
   2. primary vs. secondary?
   3. constant vs. variable?
4. What does the data measure?  Is it qualitative or quantitative?  Does it count or rank? Is it a number or a percentage or a coding value?

source

1. Who collected the data?
2. How was the data was collected?
3. Is there contact information to ask questions about the data?

type

1. Is it raw or processed or analyzed data?
2. Is it aggregated or dis-aggregated?