Humanities & Social Sciences Graduate Student Guide
The Data Hub at UI
If you are looking for data specific to the University of Iowa, the Data Hub provides access to publicly available information about the university, such as Data Digest and reports filtered by topic. The Data Hub also provides access to the Campus Data Portal, which offers searchable dashboards, visualizations, and reports published from teams across campus. You just need your HawkID and password to access the portal and its data contents.
Citing Data
Further information about how to cite the data you located can be found on the UI Libraries' How to Cite Data and Code page and Citing Datasets page of the Citing Sources research guide.
UI Libraries Research Data Services
UI Libraries can assist you with creating data sharing plans, managing data during research projects, and publishing and preserving your research data. For more information about these and other services, check out our Research Data Services page.
Researching with Data
If you are looking to locate data for your research, one place to start is our A-Z Database Guide.
By clicking on "All Database Types", you can filter results to show "Data Sources".
You can also apply subject filters to continue narrowing your source search. The example below is set to feature data for education.
You can also find a list of data sources linked by subject on the UI Libraries Data Sources web page.
Additional Data Sources: General Data Repositories
From the UI Libraries' Data Sources web page:
Iowa Research Online (IRO) is the University of Iowa’s institutional data repository. Use IRO to search for data related to your field. To find datasets, use the Advanced Search option to filter by 'Resource Type' and select 'Dataset'.
Federated Research Data Repository
Search FRDR to find research datasets originating from researchers affiliated with Canadian institutions. Data deposited to other repositories across Canada can also be found by searching in FRDR.
The Global Open Data Index provides the most comprehensive snapshot available of the state of open government data publication across the world.
The Hathi Trust Digital Library offers millions of digitized items which are available for scholarly research. This items are available in their fullest extent under U.S. copyright laws.
If you are looking for information about managing original research data and deciding a research repository for uploading data, more information can be found at the UI Libraries' Reseach Data Services page and Selecting a Data Repository page.
Additional Data Sources: Data Indexes
Data indexes are compilations of datasets from multiple repositories and data centers.
Discover research data, including data studies, data sets from a wide range of international data repositories and connect them with the scientific literature to track data citation
DataCite is a leading global non-profit organization that provides persistent identifiers (DOIs) for research data and other research outputs. DataCite also develops additional services to improve the DOI management experience, making it easier for members to connect and share their DOIs with the broader research ecosystem and to assess the use of their DOIs within that ecosystem.
Dataset Search with Google
Visit datasetsearch.research.google.com to find datasets on a particular topic. Datasets does not have an advanced search option, so use simple, strategic strategic keywords such as: light pollution causes. After you hit Search, filters will appear above your results.
Filter your search results by:
- Last Updated (past month, year, or past three years)
- Download Format (available in charts, images, tables, etc)
- Topic (different subject disciplines)
- Usage Rights (commercial and non commercial use)
- Free (datasets that are not behind a paywall)
Additionally, you can narrow your search results by domain using site: operator. For example: pollution site:gov will bring results from .gov sites.
Lastly, Dataset results can be saved, downloaded to your device, shared, or opened in a new browser once you click on a search result. Additionally, citations are generated in the upper right hand corner. It is always recommended to double check automated citations for accuracy.
"All of Us" Research Program
The All of Us Research Program (AoURP) is led by the National Institutes of Health with the goal of advancing precision medicine and improving human health. There are a variety of datasets that the program makes available, including:
- Electronic Health Records
- Biosamples and Bioassays
- Mobile Health Data
- Physical Measurements
- Surveys
More information about the program and how to access the data for your research can be found using this research guide created by the University of Iowa Libraries.