Research Guides: Political Science: The Data Search

Important Data Guides for Political Science Students

Comparative Political Data
Gould Library's directory of comparative political data sources.
Gould Library Data Guide
General strategies for data searching, management, data across many disciplines.
Dataset of Political Science Datasets
This dataset includes information on 70+ datasets, mostly focused on political science but of relevance to related fields (e.g., economics, sociology). These data cover American Politics, Comparative Politics, and International Relations, with information on topics from public opinion and participation across the world to data on armed conflicts and military resource distribution, both historic and contemporary.
DatasetSearch
Dataset Search is a search engine for datasets. Using a simple keyword search, users can discover datasets hosted in thousands of repositories across the Web.
A Dataset with Political Science Datasets
A collection of political datasets. The datasets are listed below within specific categories: cabinets, citizens, constitutions, political institutions, parties and politicians, democracy, economics, elections, international relations, media, policy, political elites, political speeches and debates. All datasets are listed in the datasets in the repository (.xlsx, .csvs) with detailed information on the topics, coverage and availability of the respective datasets.

Data Reference Worksheet

When searching for data it can feel like there is no method and you are just wandering around the web. When we meet to discuss finding data, it can help to know that we are following a general framework laid out in this worksheet.

Data Reference Worksheet (PDF version)
A worksheet for brainstorming places to look for data.

Data Reference Worksheet (Google Doc Version)
Save a copy of this to your Google Drive to keep notes on your data search process.

Noting Data Sources

At the very first stages of your literature review, start taking notes on potential data sources. Make a habit of jotting down the data used in each study you read to make it faster when you come back later in your search for data. Also, this practice can help you see and articulate how your contribution is unique. You might want to keep these notes in a table like the following for easy reference.

Author(s) and Year of Publication	Claim	Data	Dependent Variable/Estimation Technique	Significant Findings

See an example of this practice in action:

Example: Comparing Data Sources
From a published paper in economics where the author summarizes previous work in a table like this one.
Data Reference Worksheet (PDF version)
A worksheet for brainstorming places to look for data, containing a grid for organizing literature on the second page.

Comparing Variables Across Datasets

In your search for data you may need to compare similar questions from several surveys. Below is a grid to help you keep track of this process.

Compare Variables (Google Doc)
Make a copy of this document so you can use it to start your own variable comparison grid.