Library Guides: POSC 103: Websites

Select Websites

Data.gov
One-stop-shop for data from various US government agencies. Datasets in agriculture, business, climate, education, science, and much more. Refine the dataset options using filters - topic, dataset type, format, organizations, and publisher.
A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies (USA.gov)
A directory of federal agencies from the official U.S. government website.
US Government Accountability Office
"... an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO examines how taxpayer dollars are spent and provides Congress and federal agencies with objective, reliable information to help the government save money and work more efficiently. "
Pew Research Center
"Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research." Select the Project of your choice to view data. You may need to register, but it is free.
Open Secrets
From The Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, independent, and nonprofit organization that tracks money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. "OpenSecrets.org... [is] the most comprehensive resource for federal campaign contributions, lobbying data and analysis available anywhere."
Congressional Budget Office
Nonpartisan organization producing budgetary analysis reports. It does not make policy recommendations but rather focuses on methodology.
Brookings Institute
"The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC."

Statistics

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Useful economic data CPI, PPI, unemployment rate, etc. see "Economy at a Glance" on this site

Statista
Provides data and infographics on over 60,000 topics from over 18,000 sources, categorized into 21 market sectors with quantitative data on media, business, finance, politics, and a wide variety of other areas.

Statistical Abstract of the United States
Summary statistics on just about any topic (often for a range of years) - lacks detail to lower levels of geography (ie. counties, etc.) but is a good pointer to other sources. Covers up to 2012. The latest edition is available at the Research Help Desk and is published by ProQuest. No longer is it published by the U.S. Government
U.S. Census Bureau
Population Statistics and demographic information, etc. from the U.S. Census Bureau (includes "American Factfinder")

POSC 103

Critically Evaluating Resources

A way to remember what to look for: CRAAP

Currency

Relevancy

Authority

Accuracy

Purpose

Select Websites

Statistics