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Surviving Statistics

Surviving Statistics. Strategies for dealing with statistical questions on the reference desk. Outline. Statistics or data: what are we talking about? Official or non-official statistics Metadata properties of statistical information

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Surviving Statistics

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  1. Surviving Statistics Strategies for dealing with statistical questions on the reference desk Chuck Humphrey & Lynne Robinson University of Alberta

  2. Outline • Statistics or data: what are we talking about? • Official or non-official statistics • Metadata properties of statistical information • Tips for finding statistics through the University of Alberta Library

  3. Statistics numeric facts/figures created from data, i.e, already processed presentation-ready Data numeric files created and organized for analysis/processing requires processing not display-ready Numeric Information

  4. Stories are told through statistics • The National Population Survey had over 80,000 respondents in 1996-97 sample and the Canadian Community Health Survey in 2005 had over 130,000 respondents. How do we tell the stories about these people? • We create summaries of their life experiences using statistics.

  5. Six dimensions or variables in this table Numeric Information Geography Region Time Periods Unit of Observation Attributes Smokers Education Age Sex The cells in the table are the number of estimated smokers.

  6. Statistics are about definitions! Definitions Sex Total Male Female Periods 1994-1995 1996-1997

  7. Statistics are about definitions! Some definitions are based on standards while others are based on convention or practice. For example, Standard Geography classifications

  8. WHERE ARE THE DATA!

  9. Numeric Information

  10. Summary • Statistics are derived from data. • A table presents a summary or one view of the data. • Tables are structured around geography, time and attributes of the unit of observation. • Statistics are dependent on definitions.

  11. What are the origins of the data? • One of the keys to finding statistics is to identify a data source from which the statistics could be produced. Edmonton Journal p. B1 Sep 21, 2006

  12. Census Canadian Community Health Survey Labour Force Survey General social survey Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children New Canadian Children and Youth Survey OECD Programme for International Student Assessment Vital Statistics Hospital Morbidity Database National Health Expenditure Database Crime reports Court reports Education reports SEDAR (Canadian Securities Administrators) National Accounts LIDS (Landed Immigrant Data System) Income Statistics (Canadian Revenue Agency) Administrative Records Surveys

  13. Official & Non-official Statistics • Statistics are produced from data collected by official and non-official sources. • Official sources are those with a public mandate to report on the operation of government or on the status of society or the economy. Government statistics tend to be publicly available and relatively direct to find. • Non-official statistics do not have a public mandate behind their creation. They tend to be created for commercial purposes and more difficult to find or obtain.

  14. Summary • When looking for statistics, think about a likely data source from which they would be produced. • Producers of statistics are grouped into two general categories: official and non-official. • The path toward official statistics takes you to governmental sources. • The path toward non-official statistics takes you to commercial and non-governmental organizations.

  15. Is a title provided? Is an author, producer or agency identifiable? Is there a date of creation or publication? What is the entity that has been observed to make this statistic? That is, what is the unit of observation? Are the attributes of the unit observation (i.e., variables) and their categories clearly identified and defined? Is there a key to explain the use of colours or lines in the graph? Is the type of statistic clearly identified? That is, does the table or graph contain percentages, counts, averages, etc.? Is there a scale for the numbers presented in the table or graph? Is there an overall figure or number (N) presented upon which the table or graph was calculated? Are there footnotes? Are geography, time and the attributes of the unit of observation clearly expressed in the table or graph? What are the metadata characteristics of tables & graphs?

  16. Unit of Observation Unit of Observation Title Variables Average Tuition Discipline Academic Year Province Statistical Metric Dollars Footnote Date Producer

  17. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/facts2005/permanent/17.html

  18. Summary • If statistical tables and graphs were described and indexed by such metadata, our ability to locate statistics would be greatly enhanced. • In the absence of such metadata, we use elements of this metadata structure to search our existing databases. • The next generation of metadata in the field of data will work to integrate the description of both data and statistics.

  19. Where to find Stats… • Library Catalogue • Databases • The Web – U of A Library Website Info Guides, Search Engines, Government websites • Statistics Canada

  20. Library Catalogue f • Example searches: • Subject: statisticsand womenand Canada • Subject: Africa andstatistics and social conditions • Author: Statistics Canada Subject: adult education • Author: Alberta Subject: statistics Words anywhere: energy • Author: United Nations Subject: statistics and development www.library.ualberta.ca

  21. Databases: Databases: Use “statistics” or “indicators” as subject terms or keywords in these or any other database: • CBCA, CPI.Q, Canadian Research Index all index some Stats Canada Periodicals, such as Canadian Social Trends, Health Reports, and Perspectives on Labour and Income http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodId=CPI&userGroupName=edmo69826 • Canadian Research Index is very useful for annual reports of provincial and federal government departments. Annual reports are very useful for financial statistics • PAIS International indexes some UN Agency publications, International Organization publications (ie: IMF, OECD, African Development Bank), and some national government publications, including national statistical agency publications

  22. Web Guides & Search Engines • Resource Guide to Government Stats http://www.library.ualberta.ca/subject/government/index.cfm • Resource Guide to Business Stats http://www.library.ualberta.ca/subject/business/canadianbusiness/index.cfm Resources Guide to Health Stats http://www.library.ualberta.ca/subject/nursing/healthstats/index.cfm • The Web • Google, other search engines • Google advanced search http://www.google.ca/advanced_search?hl=en

  23. Statistics Canada -- Access • Free • Web-only resources available through Stats Can website • Includes articles, tables, web portals (ie: Census 2001, Canadian Statistics, Community Profiles, Free Internet Publications) • DSP (Depository Services Program) • Online and print publications available to us through the DSP • Publications include: • Periodicals with articles (ie: Canadian Social Trends, Juristat) • Periodicals with tables only (ie: Monthly Survey of Manufacturing) • Monographs (ie: Religions in Canada) • Yearbooks (ie: Canada Yearbook, Canada: A Portrait) • CD-ROMs (ie: Canada Food Stats, Labour Force Historical Review) • Web portals (ie: E-STAT, Statistics Canada Downloadable Publications) • DLI (Data Liberation Initiative) • CANSIM, 1996 Census, 2001 Census • Public use microdata files (Data Library) http://www.statcan.ca/menu-en.htm Custom Tabulations $$$

  24. Statistics Canada Many, many surveys: All Statistics Canada publications are based on the results of hundreds of different surveys. List of surveys:www.statcan.ca/english/sdds/index.htm

  25. Portals to Statistics Canada • Statistics Canada Downloadable Publications (DSP) • List of Statistics Canada publications that are provided to us online by the Depository Services Program http://dsp-psd.communication.gc.ca/Collection/Statcan/index-e.html • E-Stat • Statistics Canada articles and statistical tables are provided. A wide range of time periods are covered • Access to the Census profile series for the 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001 censuses • Access to CANSIM (only updated once a year)

  26. Portals to Statistics Canada • CANSIM (DLI) • Tabular results of most of the surveys that Statistics Canada carries out • Gives results over many years (“time series”) • Maintained by U of T CHASS, updated weekly • Cansim II Portal (DLI)http://www.library.ualberta.ca/databases_help/cansim/index.cfm • Displays individual time series (separate detailed results) only, text format only • CANSIM I still exists, but is no longer updated. If you cannot find the stats you need in CANSIM II, then you might try CANSIM I

  27. I need some statistics on...

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