Factors to Consider When Evaluating Data and Statistics
Source
Authority
Objectivity & Purpose
Currency
Collection Methods & Completeness
Consistency / Verification
Citing data helps your readers locate data, replicate your findings, and generally promotes "open data" values. The following should be included in your citation:
The general format for citing data using the APA 6th ed. (p. 211) is as follows:
Rightsholder, A. A. (Year). Title of program (Version number) [Description of form]. Retrieved from http://xxx
or, if you have a Digital Object Identifier (doi), you can use it in place of the URL.
The form descriptions can vary, examples include the following:
Data set
Database
Time series
(Thanks to Esther Gil, DU Business and Economics Librarian and Gould Library, Carleton College)
At the very first stages of your literature review, start taking notes on potential data sources. Make a habit of jotting down the data used in each study you read to make it faster when you come back later in your search for data. Also, this practice can help you see and articulate how your contribution is unique. You might want to keep these notes in a table like the following for easy reference.
Author(s) and Year of Publication | Claim | Data | Dependent Variable/Estimation Technique | Significant Findings |
|
See an example of this practice in action: