Education Librarian
Christina Jones
she / her / hers
Contact:
Education 1160
201 N. Rose St.
Bloomington, IN 47405-10065
201 N. Rose St.
Bloomington, IN 47405-10065
812-856-8590
Subjects: Education
Investigating the Authority of Data
To avoid using data in a way that perpetuates systemic racism and injustice, it is critical to investigate the authority of data producers and reporters. Data is not neutral. Datasets necessarily reflect their producer's expertise, credibility, and bias. Use this guide to help you investigate the authority of both the datasets you encounter and that of scholars reporting and interpreting the data.
Guiding Questions
Investigate the Source
- Was data collected by individual researchers or an organization?
- Could an affiliation of the producer affect the work?
- Why was the data collected in the first place?
- Is the data source different from the reporter or citer?
- If the data are repackaged, can you identify the original source?
Investigate Impact
- What is the impact of the producer? How often is their work used or cited?
- What is the impact of the data? Is it cited often?
- How is the data used in the research? How does their use compare with yours?
- Do peers have objections to the measure or producer?
Tools to Research Your Data
Tools to Discover Impact: Selective Scope
- Web of Science
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- Scopus
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Tools to Discover Impact: Broad Scope
- Google Scholar
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- ProQuest Social Sciences
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Allows users to simultaneously search a collection of ProQuest Social Science databases.
- OneSearch@IU
- This link opens in a new window
Tools to Investigate Organizations or Agencies
- GuideStar Pro
- This link opens in a new window
Under the auspices of Candid, this resource provides information and data on nonprofit organizations.
- Government Accountability OfficeGAO provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and save taxpayers billions of dollars. (from website)
- Better Business Bureau | Wise Giving AllianceBBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB’s Give.org) is a standards-based charity evaluator that seeks to verify the trustworthiness of publicly-soliciting charities by completing rigorous evaluations based on 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. BBB Standards for Charity Accountability address four areas of charity accountability: governance, results reporting, finances, and truthful transparent communications. (from website)
Further Reading
Explore these resources for additional information
- Library research guide from Carleton College Gould Library: Data
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Library research guide from University of Ottowa: Evaluate Your Data
For further investigation of Quantitative Critical Theory (QuanCrit) explore the following resources:
- STEMequity: "What is QuantCrit?"
- Paulette Vincent-Ruz, Univ. of Michigan: #QuantCrit Resources