Statistics

You may decide to use statistics in your research for any number of reasons, not the least of which may be that your instructor has requested their use.

When you use and present statistics, be sure they do the following:

• Come from a reliable source, like Census.gov
• Most government agencies (federal, state and local) produce thousands of statistics.
• Accurately describe what they are intended to describe.
• Add to the evidence of your report and support your conclusion.

When you quote a statistic, minimize the opportunity for misinterpretation by thinking carefully about the source of the statistic and how you word your quote about the statistic.

Consider that some statistics never change – like the number of feet in a mile (5,280) or the distance to the moon. Other statistics change constantly – take a look at the World population clock.

You may find statistics in the journal articles or other resources that you are using for your research.

If you need to search for statistics, remember that the United States government is the largest data collector in the world. Think about which government agency might collect data that is relevant for your topic. Use Google to search. You can add: site: .gov to restrict to government websites.

The library also subscribes to several statistical databases. We have created a subject guide  where you can find them all.

Reading a Statistical Chart

Every piece of information in a table or graph is important to the understanding of the statistics presented.  Statistical tables and graphs pack a great deal of information into very little space.   

There are some common elements that you should look for when examining a statistical source.  This information will be critical to your evaluation of the source, as well as how you use the data for your research.

Take this brief tutorial from Eastern Michigan University that explains how to read a chart. Take the tutorial at the end. How did you do?