Navigating United Nations data sources

The purpose of this paper is to direct academic librarians to free data resources that support international relations research. This paper provides technical information so readers can download data from referenced sites for analysis. Proper citation of data sources is emphasized.

The resources were compiled from teaching information and statistical literacy to diplomacy undergraduate and graduate students. Data and data sets described are relevant to country research and sustainable development.

Academic librarians will help students identify if they are looking for data specific to an agency, indicator, initiative, or general topic. Statistical literacy is also an underlying goal for academic librarians. Key word searching is important for finding sources that may not surface through a simple Google search.

The free services described may not answer all research queries. Librarians may need to use services such as Political Risk Service’s CountryData Online.

This is an excellent resource list of secondary data sources for academic librarians in areas that may not be their area of expertise or for those not at Tier 1 research institutions.

Students internationally will have access to this data. This has implications for US college students who are competing with students overseas for jobs and will use data to help future employers make strategic decisions.

There has not been anything published recently in library literature about United Nations data resources. This article features commentary from two Seton Hall University Diplomacy faculty plus EDUCAUSE and UK researchers.