Gregg-Graniteville Library: Sociology: Demography and Statistics

Evaluating Web Resources

Guidelines for evaluating websites.

Purpose

Why was this source created?
What audience was it created for?
Is it scholarly or popular? Does this matter?

Authority

Who is the author? A person? A corporation?
What are the author's qualifications for writing on this subject?

Timeliness

Is there a date?
When was the content last updated?

Scope

Does it give too much or too little information?
How specific is the information provided?

Selected Resources

General Social Survey
World Bank eAtlas of Global Development
Interactive site that maps and graphs economic and social data for over 200 countries. Pulled from the World Bank’s development data, the site’s over 175 indicators can be compared, exported and refined.
United Nations Demographic Yearbook
Need mortality statistics? Start here!
World Development Report Online
Use this website to locate world economic, social, and political indicators, and to get access to the annual World Development Report from 1978 to the present. Hosted by the World Bank Group.
UNESCO
Start here to locate international information and data about hundreds of issues, from Access to Information to Youth issues.
UNICEF
Need statistics about children's health, education and social issues? Start here.
United States Census
Review and gather demographic and social data from the cecennial census.
GapMinder
Lets users compare countries via charts and maps. Over 500 indicators about health, education, technology and more are available.
London Lives from 1690 to 1800
A website featuring a broad range of primary sources focusing on the lives of everyday Londoners. Manuscripts and datasets offering information on crime, poverty, illness and other social conditions are housed on this useful site.
A Vision of Britain Through Time
Using GIS technology, this website gathers data from maps, censi, election results to better understand citenzry and sociological changes through time.
Digital Harlem: Everyday Life, 1915-1930
This resource uses information from primary source newspapers and Manhattan District Attorney files to paint a picture of life for common African-American citizens living in Harlem. Topics include family, racism, and issues surrounding marginalized societies.
American Community Survey
From the United States Census Bureau, you can find social, demographic, economic and housing demographics in communities.
Mapping the Measure of America
The Human Development Project’s site makes use of a scale that measures America’s ”well-being.” Scroll over a state to see data on earnings, education, life expectancy, and other demographic and socioeconomic indicators. Also includes political information, from congressional districts to voter participation.
MetroTrends
Use this site to see a ”report card” of metropolitan regions, with a focus on economic, demographic, and social issues.

CIA World Factbook This link opens in a new window
Provides information on the history, people and society, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities.

Population Reference Bureau Datafinder
Demographic Yearbook
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
Combines data from over 100 different sources ranging from research centers, to private companies, to government agencies.

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