ENGL 101 English Composition 1 (Modzelewski)

Finding statistics with Info Plus

Finding Statistics

Information Plus Reference Series

The Information Plus Reference Series provides detailed information, including statistics, on a variety of topics.

Use the link and information in the next tab of this box to locate this series

  • Abortion
  • AIDS/HIV
  • Capital Punishment
  • Education
  • The Environment
  • Growing Old in America
  • Sports in America
  • Women in American Society
  • Careers and Occupations
  • Death and Dying
  • Endangered Species
  • Health and Wellness
  • Minorities
  • Space Exploration
  • Weight in America
  • World Poverty
  • The American Economy
  • Child Abuse and Domestic Violence
  • Electronic America
  • Energy
  • Gambling
  • Gun Control
  • The Health Care System
  • National Security
  • Alcohol, Tobacco, and Illicit Drugs
  • Animal Rights
  • Crime, Prisons, and Jails
  • Genetics and Genetic Engineering
  • Growing Up
  • Immigration and Illegal Aliens
  • Social Welfare
  • Water

Limiting to Information Plus

As shown in the image below, you can easily carry out a search for articles that come just from this Information Plus series - which are rich in statistics and have charts, graphs, tables, etc. 

From the advanced search page in Gale Ebooks (formerly called Gale Virtual Reference Library), you can search for a keyword - whatever your larger topic is, and then in the field for Publication Type, you can search for "Information Plus"

(click on image to enlarge)

images shows how to use the advanced search to limit to publication title, searching for Information Plus series, and a keyword

Find "buried" statistics

Search Strategies for Finding Statistics

Try the search strategies outlined below when you are looking for articles from library databases.

Note: This is only one search strategy and will not help you find all statistics on a topic - that is, sometimes statistics are buried within other articles that are not found using the search term"statistics"

Search tips

In ProQuest databases, try the advanced search tips as outlined below and in the image:

  • Choose "Advanced search" so you are given multiple search boxes to use
  • Enter your search terms, basic keywords, into the first box
  • In the second box, add the word "Statistics" and then, using the drop-down menu at the end of the search box, select "All Subjects and Indexing - SU" This ensures that "statistics" are a major subject in the results
  • Be sure to limit to "Full text" results and then carry out the search

(click on image to enlarge)

image shows a screenshot of a Proquest search page, showing how to enter your search terms as outlined in the text in this box.

Charts, graphs, and diagrams

Statistics are often found inside books and articles, namely, in the graphs, charts, and diagrams within them. 

The image of the graph below is from a CQ Research report and is but one example of how you can locate find statistical information in larger information sources. 

(click on image to enlarge)

image shows an chart with stats that was pulled from the article

Image Source: Mantel, B. (2010, April 2). Breast cancer. CQ Researcher,  20, 289-312. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com

Articles or Books
  • As you research, take the time to skim through your findings to uncover these "buried  treasures"

  • Follow leads in the article to find other statistics (see example below):

(click on image to enlarge)

this is an image of a web article that shows a part of the text highlighted - in the text you can see statistics embedded.

Finding stats

Statistics on the Web

Find government statistics on the web using Smart Search skills:
  1. Type in a keyword for your topic: eg. recidivism teenaged boys statistics
  2. Limit your search to government websites: site:.gov
Example: 

recidivism teenaged boys statistics site:.gov

Find Stats on the Web

Statistics by Topic Area

Consider the links, organized by topic, below.

Additional Resources

For more help locating statistics, see the Statistics Research Guide (link below)

Online stats

General Collections of Statistics