Frequently, the types of statistics that are needed to support a paper can be found online, rather than in the UAGC library. Government agencies and non-profit research organizations generate much of the statistical data used in persuasive essays and student research papers.
The following search strategy should assist those looking for statistical information on the internet.
1. Using Google, type keywords related to your search then Site:.gov into the basic search box. For example, if I wanted to retrieve statistics related to housing I would type in housing statistics site:.gov.
2. Adding Site:.gov to the end of a search string lets the search engine know that you only want to see information from government websites. The same can be done for non-profit research organizations by adding Site:.org.
Please note that when working with web resources you should always check the credibility of the source since anyone with internet access can post anything on the web. Here are a couple of resources created by the library to assist you in determining the credibility of a resource:
Statistics research guide
The UAGC Library has a research guide for statistics. In this research guide, there are tips for finding articles with statistics, links to books and videos about statistics from the library’s collection, and carefully selected websites that provide access to a variety of statistics and help students understand statistics.
Access the guide through the following link - Statistics, or through the library website.
To get to the guide through the library website click on the Research Guides link located on the right-hand side of the library homepage.
The Statistics guide can be accessed through the Anthropology, Communication, Education, Psychology, Social Science, and Sociology headings.
If you still have questions you can chat in real-time with a librarian here.