1. Facts and Data Search on the Web
Sarah Aerni
Special Projects Librarian
University of Pittsburgh
13 April 2005

2. Overview of this Lecture
Introduction to Indexes and tips for using them
Information about some sources for datasets and facts
Time for Questions

3. Important considerations when searching for information
First you must identify and specify your topic as clearly as possible.
It is important to think of keywords to describe this topic.
Then you want to identify sources to consult with for information.
Finally, you want to use the index or list of terms to match your keywords with those used in the source.

4. Indexes
An index provides details about the topics included in the resource.
It may also describe how the authors
or editors classify topics.
Check for indexes as you begin to
use the resource, as they will help improve search efficiency.

5. More about Indexes
Indexes are available in most online databases, and many printed publications.
For online sources, often you won’t see an index until you try a search. Then terms will be recommended to you. These are the “index terms” used by the database.

7. More clues
Indexes and information about searching can often be found under these headings:
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Site Features and Tips
Search Tips
Article Index
Index of Terms
We will look for these tools on the resource pages that follow.

8. The following resources are just some that can provide you with data and facts on topics concerning Asia, Europe and America…

9. CIA Factbook or
Printed version provides a snapshot of the world as of 1 January of the most recent year (latest edition is as of 1 January 2004)
The electronic version is periodically updated throughout the year.

12. The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
An independent, non-profit think-tank that focuses on Canada’s relations with Asia.
The focus is on social sciences.
Publications include: Canada Asia Review, Asia Pacific Bulletin, Asian Business Associations
Their statistics page seems particularly relevant.

15. World Bank Data and Statistics
Wuhan University Library website:
“Almost all of these datasets are derived, either directly or indirectly, from official statistical systems organized and financed by national governments.”
Includes databases on “World Development Indicators” and “Global Development Finance” and International Comparisons.

16. More data and research from the World Bank
Covers years for 226 countries or groups.
Information on fuel & energy (among many other industries) can be found here.
Data can be downloaded in Excel or ASCII format for your use.

18. The Penn-World Tables http://pwt.econ.upenn.edu/php_site/pwt_index.php
The Penn World Table provides purchasing power parity and national income accounts converted to international prices for 168 countries for some or all of the years
The European Union and OECD provide more detailed information about these things for their member countries.

21. An annotated list of resources about Asia and Southeast Asia
A list of many resources that are available on the Internet about Asia.
Resources are grouped by various political, social, cultural and economic categories.

23. Social Sciences Data Archives
A very comprehensive list of datasets from all over the world.
Created by sociologists in the Netherlands.
This site looks useful, both from the information links and the way they broke out results by country.

25. BREAD – Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Developement
This page is a list of many household surveys from various developing countries.
A working paper archive holds “grey literature” from the institute. This type of material helps you get a sense of future research topics.

26. Other types of studies included at the BREAD site
Fertility studies
Demographic Studies
Lifestyle (household) studies
Living Standards Measurement Studies
Doesn’t include as much information on China, but might be a useful source for data on other countries.

28. UN Statistics Service http://unstats.un.org/unsd/
This service compiles data from many national services and produces global updates and summaries.
As they rely on data produced by other sources, there is much less control over the contents of the data tables. This makes it less reliable than going to the original source of the data.

29. American FactFinder http://factfinder.census.gov
The best way to access United States Census data (a national census that is done once every 10 years).
More information about the most recent census can be found here:

33. Easy national comparisons
A commercial site: provides an easy way to do simple country comparisons.
It is fun to play around with.
However, a note of caution: The “About” link is not clickable, and there is no information about where the data comes from!

34. Thanks for coming!
The important thing to remember is
that there are always people you can ask when you get stuck looking for something.
Don’t be afraid to explore, and to ask others for help (even over ).
Good luck with your research!