LibGuides: CS 7300: Introduction to Research in Computer Science: Finding Data Online

Starting with the Instrument

When a researcher uses a standard test or instrument in their research, they'll cite it. Find a test or instrument that speaks to your topic, then go to our journal databases to search for it in quotes to discover articles which used that instrument in their research.

For example, if I searched for mathematics in the "PsycTests" databases, I would find out about the "Individual Interest in Mathematics Assessment".

Then, I'd head over to "PsycInfo" database, and search for that assessment (in quotes) to find an article based on the test.

Having trouble finding a specific instrument? Contact me! I have some sneaky ways to find the full text of instruments...

Databases of Tests
A dozen library databases that gather together tests and instruments. Find a test that interests you, then head to a journal database to find articles based on that instrument.
PsycTests
Repository for a growing selection of psychological tests and measures, including thousands of actual test instruments and test items that are available for immediate download and use in research and teaching.
PsycInfo (Articles)
Find articles here. Tip: Search by the name of an instrument that you find in PsycTests (put the name in quotes).

Research Methods

Data paid for by the library

ICPSR: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
Vast archive of social science data. Can use with statistical software, such as SAS, SPSS, & Stata. Thematic categories include census data, community & urban studies, conflict, aggression, economic behavior, education, leadership, geography, health care, legal systems, mass political behavior, and organizational behavior. Data sets from 1962 to present.
Other data sets held by the library
A link to a variety of datasets and statistical sources curated by the Electronic Resource Librarians at Texas State.
Guide to finding statistics and data on the web
Tips for locating statistics (and some data) from authoritative sources on the web. Most of the sources are Governmental in nature, but there are many others listed.

Open Data

Because the federal government (and the ethics of some disciplines) require raw research data behind funded studies to be published in open data repositories, you can find many types and varieties of data available online for free.

Re3Data: A Registry of Research Data Repositories
Search this database for your general disciplinary topic (i.e. education), or click browse to browse by topic. It will lead you to a listing of places where researchers deposit their data.
Texas State University Dataverse Repository
Data published by Texas State University researchers in our own repository.
Wolfram Data Repository
Building on the Wolfram Data Framework and the Wolfram Language, the Wolfram Data Repository provides a uniform system for storing data and making it immediately computable and useful. With datasets of many types and from many sources, the Wolfram Data Repository is built to be a global resource for public data and data-backed publication.
Open Access Directory: Data Repositories
This is a list of repositories and databases for open data.