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Doctoral Social Work Research: Statistics & Data

This guide gives an overview of resources for doctoral research in social work (PhD and DSW)

Data Reference Toolkit

Data Reference

This research guide will walk you through the steps of finding, using, and managing data in a research project.

 

Please use this Document in conjunction with this research guide. This guide will help you work through the document.

 

This guide is adapted from the following worksheet:

Data Reference Worksheet, Gould Library, Carleton College, rev. 2016. Kristin Partlo & Danya Leebaw CC-BY-SA 4.0
View: https://goo.gl/1z6LBH or Make a copy: https://goo.gl/wdWSYt 

What are the characteristics of data needed?

Think about your research question. The data that you will look for will have certain types of attributes and information. Use the google doc and address these areas as best as you can:

 

  • Unit of Analysis (e.g. individuals, households, companies, players, teams, counties, states, nations)

  • Geography (e.g. parcels in a city, counties in a region, democratized countries)

  • Time Period (e.g. 1980-2006)

  • Frequency (e.g. annual, quarterly)

 

Remember not all characteristics may be captured by a dataset. For example, the availability of geography may be limited to data at a county, state, or zip code level. Try to account for data limitations and see how you might be able to address them.

What are likely sources of data?

Who is likely to collect data on your topic? List as many as you can think of and visit their web sites. Here are some suggestions: 

 

Researchers

  • Search for prominent faculty and experts in the field. Check their websites for data on their research. 

Government Agencies

  • Understand which specific government agencies may have information on your topic in the A-Z index of U.S. Government Department and Agencies, usa.gov/federal-agencies

NGOs, IGOs:

  • What are some IGOs and NGOs that have goals that align with your research question? Think about well-known IGOs such as: UN, WTO,OECD, IMF, or World Bank. 

Think Tanks and Research Organizations

  • What are some research organizations that also care about your question? Start by searching in leading organizations, such as the Pew Research Center.

Compendia, portals, and indexes

When data are likely to be compiled or reported, these tools allow you to search by topic and discover data and data producers.

 

Data Collections, Archives, & Repositories

When data are likely to be shared by the researchers who produced them, they are likely to deposit the data in repositories. Likely candidates:

 

Social Work Datasets

Below is a selection of social work-relevant datasets:

 

Evaluating Potential Data

a. Find Overview Information

Who is the creator of the data? Why was it collected? What is its scope? What geography and time period are covered?

 

b. Find the Technical Documentation

Look for and download or document technical documentation about the dataset, including information on how it was created (e.g., survey, administrative reporting, direct measure), variable definitions, indications of what was included or excluded. Survey instruments are also helpful. Hint: look for a codebook, user guide, or documentation section of the site.

 

c. Identify the Download Options and Access Restrictions

Who gets to use the data? Contact a librarian if you are unsure if you can access it. What formats of download are available - CSV, text, Excel?

SPSS Support

 

 

Tutorials

Tutorials on using and analyzing with Excel, SPSS and visualization tools are available through Simmons’ subscription to LinkedIn Learning (previously  Lynda.com). 

 

  1. Go to the LinkedIn Learning site here: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/. At the top right hand corner, click Sign in.

 

  1. Enter your Simmons email. Login with your Simmons ID and password when prompted. If you have any trouble, contact the Technology Service Desk for help.

 

  1. Then search for Excel and SPSS for relevant tutorials on how to get started and analyzing and visualizing your data.

Importing, Frequencies and Crosstabs in SPSS

 

 

 

Click the "Files of Type" drop down menu to change file type and import Excel, .csv, .txt, .dat, or tab files. 

 

 

Crosstabs: Create basic-to-complex tables quickly.  Go to:  Analyze>Descriptive Statistics>Crosstabs to identify your rows and columns

Take Cues From Secondary Literature

Track what you find in the literature to discover data sources, understand the data landscape, and place your research into context with related research. 

 

Author/Date Claim Data

Dependent Variable/

Estimation Technique

Significant

Findings

 Other
1.          
2.          
3.          
4.          
5.          

 

Documentation

For extended projects, you will want to keep a research journal. Do a favor for your future self and keep good records of what you find so you can retrace your steps.

 

What to record about a data download in a research journal:

  • URL or DOI
  • Date
  • Author, principal investigator, producing agency, etc.
  • Exact name of dataset (not just the web site’s name) and the version if appropriate 
  • What you had to query in order to get the exact download you got
  • Where you are storing local copies data and all relevant documentation
  • Suggested citation information if provided