Statistics
STATISTICS are numerical data put into tables. You can find
statistics on almost any topic you can think of: monthly rainfall, sales figures, cancer rates, religious beliefs, etc.
The U.S. Government is the largest producer of statistics in the world so it is fortunate that the LSU Libraries are a
regional government depository.
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One of the most highly used statistics books at the Reference Desk is published by the government.
Statistical Abstract of the United States provides tables of statistics in almost any topic you
can think of and is an excellent starting point for statistical research. It is also available online
at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ (but many people
find the print version easier to navigate).
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Citing statistics is an excellent way to support or refute a statement in a research paper.
There is no one place to go to find statistics: you can find them in books, periodical articles, webpages, statistical
databases, etc. To find statistics, you'll have to look in several places:
- 1. Library Catalog: To find statistics in books and government documents, do a keyword search in
the catalog combining a broad subject and the word statistics.
- Example: crime and statistics
- 2. Journal Indexes: To find statistics in articles in scholarly journals, use a journal index in your field and
do a keyword search combining a broad subject with the word statistics. If you are not sure which journal index to use
go to the library's Indexes and Databases webpage and click on your subject.
- Examples:
- poverty and statistics
- dropouts and statistics
- 3. Internet: To find statistics on the web, use a search engine to do a keyword search using a broad subject and
the word statistics.
- Example: "lung cancer" and statistics
- 4. Statistical Databases: There are several excellent online statistical resources available through the library's
Indexes and Databases webpage such as:
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LexisNexis Statistical: statistical information on all topics in U.S. Government publications from
1973 (full-text starting in 1995) to the present.
- Statistical Masterfile:
statistical publications from the U.S. Government (1973 - 1997), private organizations, and state
government sources (1980 - 1997), and an index to international statistics. Primarily social, economic,
demographic, business, and industrial statistics rather than scientific or technical data.
