Library Guides: Biology: Data/Statistics

Data vs. Statistics

Datasets vs. Statistics

Data (raw numbers) provides all available variables collected; it can be manipulated and aggregated as needed.
Datasets is data collected and arranged logically according to definite criteria.
Statistics is data that has been already prepared/presented in aggregate form as in a table, chart or graph.

The websites and subscription databases on this pape are frequently used to provide statistical information.

NSF Policy on "Public Access to Results of NSF-Funded Research": http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/public_access/index.jsp

DataONE
"A community driven project providing access to data across multiple member repositories, supporting enhanced search and discovery of Earth and environmental data."
ESA Data Registry
"A publicly accessible registry describing scientific data sets on ecology and the environment."
National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA)
"Providing timely, accurate and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture"
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC)
"The Nation's principal health statistics agency"
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NSF)
"The nation's leading provider of statistical data on the U.S. science and engineering enterprise"
NIH Data Sharing Repositories
70 repositories that include NIH-supported data
Science.gov
"Searches over 60 databases and over 2200 selected websites from 15 federal agencies, offering 200 million pages of authoritative U.S. government science information including research and development results."

Teaching & Learning with ICPSR
Resources created for undergraduate students to learn how to use data (focuses on social science data)

Do you have data of your own to manage (or even publish and share)? Albertsons Library's Research Data Management Group can help you with that: