Secondary Data Sets
Background
The links below represent a compendium of web sites to and information about statistical data sets from several academic fields, virtually all of which are low cost or free to research investigators. The purpose of this compendium is to advance quality research among faculty and student scholars by facilitating access to data that is already available, reducing the time and costs in undertaking research projects. These can be especially beneficial to students looking for interesting project ideas, junior faculty needing preliminary data to launch their research activities, and senior faculty interested in exploring a new path or further examining particular hypotheses.
Some of these links provide direct access to sites that host specific original data sets. Others were selected because they appear to be particularly good resource sites for information on multiple datasets in a given field. Most of the sites are hosted by entities that hope to attract researchers to make good use of the data they have acquired.
IRB Review
Please note that UNI IRB approval is needed before UNI faculty or students can proceed with analyzing existing datasets regardless of the source, unless the dataset is completely de-identified and publicly available (accessible without permission from anyone). When IRB review is needed, there is a shorter application form special to these projects and obtaining approval typically takes less than two weeks.
Data Sets Available for Secondary Analysis
- Demographic and Social Statistics (PDF)
- Economics and Finance (PDF)
- Health, Human Services, and Criminal Justice (PDF)
- Political Science, Public Policy and Geography (PDF)
Contact Us
If you are aware of additional resources you feel would add value to the compendium, please let us know. Likewise, if you come across a broken link, we'd appreciate hearing about it so we can keep it as up to date as possible. Email lisa.ahern@uni.edu with updates and questions. General feedback is also welcome!