Data and Statistics

This section outlines considerations to be aware of when collecting and/or reusing data. It is not meant to be exhaustive.

You may hear about data being “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”​.

Privacy, confidentiality, and other ethical considerations may be present, especially with human subjects data.

Some considerations when collecting or reusing data include:

• Indigenous and cultural concerns
• Concerns about identification of a specific population of people
• Conservation concerns, such as the location of endangered species
• Privacy and confidentiality of PII and medical information
• National and commercial interest

Some things we might be able to do to mitigate concerns are:

• Gaining informed consent for sharing at the outset of a project
• De-identifying or anonymizing data
• Releasing data in a more aggregated form
• Using restricted and controlled access.

If you are considering using data from a secondary source, keep the following in mind:

• Is the data in the public domain (free to use, but attribution is recommended)?
• Are there licensing terms that apply to data and code?
• Is the data restricted in some way?
• What do the terms and conditions allow?

We should always be critical of the data we intend to use:

• What is the source (or provenance) of the data? (Where did the data come from?)
• How old is the data?
• Is the data relevant?
• Did the researchers outline their own limitations, assumptions, or biases?
• Is information missing or omitted, whether intentionally or unintentionally?

Documentation about your data is essential for both you and others who may want to use your data.

Refer to the Data Management @ ODU Data Management Essentials section for additional information

Data are a part of the scholarly record. If you use data, you should cite that data just as you would a journal article, newspaper article, or website. 

Additional Information:

• Cornell Data Services Data Citation
• ICPSR Citing Data