Frequently Asked Questions, or Where to Get Help with Data

• Can you help me find the data I need?
• Can you buy some data for me?
• Where can I learn how to use statistical analysis software?
• Where can I get help with analyzing my data?
• Where can I find computers that have statistical software?
• What's the best way to save my data?
• How do I cite a data set?

Can you help me find the data I need?

Yes! Whether you know what kind of data you need or not, come talk with me about your project and we'll go from there. Please make an appointment to be sure of finding me in. Back to Top

 

Can you buy some data for me?

Maybe. See the advice about purchasing elsewhere on this site. Back to Top

 

Where can I learn how to use statistical analysis software?

The Odum Institute has Short Courses every semester on myriad kinds of software for statistical analysis, both quantitative and qualitative. It also offers training in survey research, and collaborates with the Grant Source Library and the GIS Librarian to offer workshops on grant-writing and GIS.

 

Where can I get help with analyzing my data?

I'm not a statistician so can offer you no useful advise about analyzing data. If you need this kind of help, you will want to talk with your advisor, other professors in your specialty or staff at the Odum Institute. Back to Top

 

Where can I find computers that have statistical software?

Davis Library has several computers in the Data Services area to the left of the Reference Desk on the first floor that offer SPSS, Stata and SAS, as well as StatTransfer. These computers may be used any time the Library is open (hours) but printing is only available during the hours when the Reference Department is open (see the Reference subsection of the afore-mentioned hours page).

The Odum Institute computing labs in Manning Hall have a wide variety of statistical and GIS software, including R, Stata, Mathematica, Matlab, Atlas.ti, and more. See the full list of available software here. See hours here.

ITS computing labs also have a variety of statistical software, although not as varied a selection as Odum. See the list of available software here. See the hours for each location here, and a map of the locations here. ITS computing is also beginning to offer virtual computing by which you can remotely use software that is not actually installed on your machine. This is a beta service at this time and use is by reservation only. Back to Top

 

What's the best way to save my data?

The best way to save your data is to use a flash drive. They're the easiest, most portable hardware to carry and are available with lots of memory. BUT remember to retrieve it from the computer before you leave! And it doesn't hurt to put a label on it with your name, so good samaritans have a chance of returning it to you if you do forget it.

The best way to protect your data is keep back up copies on different flash drives.

If you are using GIS data, however, you may want to store projects in your AFS space. Using your AFS space means that you don't have to save the GIS data locally (which will save you a LOT of disk space) and you'll always have a reliable path to the data, which is particularly important for GIS software. See this video for instructions on how to obtain tokens for and then to access your AFS space. Back to Top

 

How do I cite a data set?

If you are collecting your own data you do not necessarily need to cite it. However it's a very good idea to archive your data. If you are using a data set another researcher compiled, citing the data set is imperative as with any other source. Follow your style guide for the exact arrangement of the citation but the basic elements of a data citation are described here. Back to Top