7. Discover

7. Discover

If you want to reuse or review research data shared by other researchers, this chapter is for you. We will show you the steps you can take in your process of data discovery, from developing a clear picture of the data you need to evaluating data quality.

To make it easier for you to discover high-quality data, we present curated lists of different types of social science data sources in Europe and around the world. The chapter concludes with things to keep in mind when you access selected data.

If you wish to print out this chapter, you can download it here.

Main take-aways

After completing your travels through this chapter on data discovery you should:

  • Be able to set up - and adjust - a search strategy to find suitable data for your research purposes;
  • Understand that social science data repositories are important sources for discovering social science data;
  • Be aware of data sources which CESSDA-experts recommend for selected research topics;
  • Be aware of steps in evaluating the quality and usefulness of data for secondary analysis;
  • Understand different types and modes of access to data;
  • Be able to answer the DMP questions which are listed at the end of this chapter, and adapt your own DMP.

Main authors of this chapter

Johana Chylikova, Czech Social Science Data Archive (CSDA)
Martin Vávra, Czech Social Science Data Archive (CSDA)
Jindrich Krejčí, Czech Social Science Data Archive (CSDA)
Jennifer Buckley, UK Data Service, University of Manchester
Michaela Kudrnacova, Czech Social Science Data Archive (CSDA)