Help with Coding and Data
Contact Kevin Thomas , Lippincott's Data Librarian, if you are having challenges designing your analyses or coding in R or Python. Refer to the R Software Guide for Business Guide.
Questions to think about
- Who
If you could imagine the smallest unit you'd like to analyze, would it be individual people, households, firms, or something else? What is it that you hope to draw conclusions about? - What
What should the data tell you about these people or other units? How would you measure that, and what kind of categories would you create. These are the variables you need. - When
Do you need data from a particular historical period? Do you need a snapshot (i.e. cross-sectional data) or changes over time (i.e. a time series)? Is the series yearly, weekly, once a decade? - Where
Do you need to know about a particular place--a city, county, state, or country? Within that place, are there smaller areas you would like to compare, e.g. neighborhoods within a city? - Why
Why would someone record data on this subject? If you know who would be interested, then you can infer where you might find it. For example, the Centers for Disease Control is interested in the spread of diseases, so they might be a source for health data.
Use a research guide from Penn Libraries that focuses on your discipline. >>Selected Statistical Databases
These databases are international and include detailed coverage of emerging markets. They include macroeconomic indicators, forecasts and more.
- CEICIncludes detailed, historical macroeconomic data down to very specific geographic divisons such as city or province. Global coverage with premium accounts for China, Brazil, India and Russia.
- EMISNews, financial, economic and market information focusing largely on emerging market countries. Includes native language publications.
- Fitch SolutionsUse the data tool to download statistics into excel. Covers political risk, finance, economic indicators, macroeconomic performance, outlook and forecast, and the business operating environment.
- Data-Planet Statistical DatasetsProvides access to statistical data produced by U.S. Federal agencies, States, private organizations, and major intergovernmental organizations.
- World BankGlobal development data. Search by country, series and time. Includes economic statistics, social development and poverty as well as gender statistics