Home Important Data Sources

Important Data Sources

• Princeton Library - Main Catalog
  Princeton owns thousands of data resources. Many are available on CD, while others can be downloaded from Princeton's server through a link from the main catalog. To search for data in the main catalog, it helps to set limits to filter out irrelevant resources. To set limits, click the "set limits" button on the main catalog search screen under the "Search by" box. Scroll down to the "Medium" box and select "Electronic resources, data files and software". Click the "Set Limits" button at the bottom of the screen.
  
  Here's a link to catalog search with the limit to retrieve only electronic resources, data files and software already set up:
  • Search Electronic Resources in the Catalog
  
  
• Inter-university Consortium for Social and Political Research (ICPSR)
  ICPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction, and all ICPSR data is available to Princeton users. The main ICPSR archive is the best place to start a search for data on most political and social topics.
  ICPSR also hosts a number of specialized data archives:
  • The Health and Medical Care Archive
  • The International Archive of Education Data
  • The National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging
  • The National Archive of Criminal Justice Data
  • The Substance Abuse & Mental Health Data Archive
  
  
• Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
  Princeton has a subscription to the Roper Center, which maintains an archive of public opinion and survey research. Use the link to search the Roper Center's data files. If you need to request a dataset from the Roper Center that is not available through RoperExpress, please contact a DSS consultant
  
  
• Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS)
  Important databases in the fields of finance, accounting, banking, economics, management, marketing and public policy. Princeton subscribes to several WRDS databases including COMPUSTAT, CRSP, Global Insight (formerly DRI), IBES, NYSE TAQ and Dow Jones. Please read the Getting Started with Wharton Research Data Services guide for more information about the service and how to request an account.
  
  
• Sociometrics
  Princeton users have access to the Sociometrics Electronic Data Library archives of health and social science data. Topics covered include AIDS, child poverty, aging, adolescent pregnancy, maternal drug abuse, and disability.
  
  
• Current Population Survey
  The Current Population Survey (CPS) has been conducted by the Bureau of the Census for over 50 years. About 65,000 households are interviewed monthly to collect information on the employment situation in the U.S. The survey is also used to collect demographic information, such as age, sex, race, marital status, veteran status, Hispanic origin, educational attainment, and family structure. Periodically, additional questions are included on such topics as health, education, income, and previous work experience.
  
  
• Economagic
  Economagic, a commercial site, offers a collection of data comprised of more than 100,000 economic time-series. The data are drawn primarily from US, Canadian, and Japanese government agencies.
  
  
• IPUMS
  The Integrated Public Use Microdata Series has public use microdata 1% and 5% samples from the US censuses from 1850 to 2000. They are also starting to archive international census data.
  
  
• Data and Statistical Services
  Princeton's Data and Statistical Services Unit provides custom extraction tools for a few hard-to-use data sources. They may be accessed by Princeton users only.
  
  • Banks Crossnational Time Series
    Select data back to 1815; covers economic, social, and political indicators; superb source for political economy.
  • Berkeley Options Database
    Berkeley Options Database has a historical record of trades and quotes, time-stamped to the nearest second, for all standardized contracts traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Princeton's holdings are 1987-1995. The series ceased in 1995.
  • Government Finance Statistics Yearbook
    This electronic yearbook by the International Monetary Fund includes data on each country's central government's revenue, expenditure, lending minus repayments, financing, and debt. Documentation can be found in Government Finance Statistics Manual {(SXF) HJ131.M36 }.
    
  • National Educational Longitudinal Study
    The National Educational Longitudinal Study followed a sample of eighth-graders first surveyed in 1988 on a range of topics. A sample were then resurveyed through follow-ups in 1990, 1992, and 1994.
  • DSS Data Files Database Lookup Utility
    This form allows you to use a DSS study number to look up the location of any data file held by DSS.
  
  
• Geospatial Data
  Princeton's Digital Map and Geospatial Information Center provides access to and support for geospatial data, digital map services and geographic information systems (GIS).
  
  
• Cultural Policy and the Arts National Data Archive (CPANDA)
  Princeton's CPANDA is an interactive digital archive of data on the arts and cultural policy in the U.S., available for research and statistical analysis, with data on artists, arts and cultural organizations, audiences, and funding for arts and culture.
  
  
• Office of Population Research Data Archive (OPR)
  Princeton's OPR has data on topics including fertitlity, demography, and health.