Research Guides @ Fordham: Psychology: Psychology Datasets

Working with datasets

Tips for Working with Datasets

Review the terms of use to ensure that you are using the data within the guidelines stipulated by the data creator/collector and the hosting organization.
Consider the format of the data and how it can be downloaded; determine if you will need to reformat, clean up, or add headings to the data.
Collect citation information--data sets must be cited. Data repositories will often have citing guidelines, but a reference librarian can also assist with citation and style.
Consider best practices for data sharing. We recommend using the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) metric to evaluate your data.
Understand how and why the data was collected, maintained, and shared.

Recommended Reading

Martone, M. E., Garcia-Castro, A., & VandenBos, G. R. (2018). Data sharing in psychology. The American psychologist, 73(2), 111–125. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000242

Alter, G., & Gonzalez, R. (2018). Responsible practices for data sharing. The American psychologist, 73(2), 146–156. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000258

Open Psychology Data

Data.world's Psychology Datasets
Datasets collected in data.world tagged with the Psychology Tag. Create a (free) account to get the most out of these resources.
APA Data Sets and Repositories
Links to data sets and digital repositories recommended by the American Psychological Association.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive (SAMHDA)
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration publishes data from a variety of sources and provides public access to these data files.
Center for Disease Control Data
Data and statistics from the CDC. Data on alcohol use, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), death & mortality, and many other areas of research are available to the public.
The National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD)
This national archive contains data from the Bureau of Justice, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. They highlight monthly dataset releases and allow you to explore and search data from all three departments simultaneously.
United States Census Bureau Data
Explore all the U.S. Census data from one place - data.census.gov allows the user the narrow down census data by multiple topics at a time. They also provide access to mapped data and microdata.
DataLab via the National Center for Education Statistics
A platform of web-based tools that provide the public with access to data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Human Mortality Database
The HMD is a large, international open data resource on mortality in developed countries. Zipped data is available for download by country or by statistic. Registration (free) required for full use of the website.
National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging
The National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA) is funded by the National Institute on Aging and acquires, preserves, and shares data relevant to gerontological research. Search data by series, geography, and more.

Other Psychology Data Resources

Journal of Open Psychology Data
The Journal of Open Psychology Data (JOPD) publishes peer-reviewed data papers describing psychology datasets with high reuse potential. This is a great resource for finding datasets already being used in the field.

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) This link opens in a new window
World's largest archive of digital social science data. Must be on campus when setting up account for public-use data. If you need access to restricted-use data, contact Fordham's IRB.

Qualitative Data Repository
The Qualitative Data Repository (QDR) is the first domain repository in the United States dedicated to curating, storing, preserving, and publishing digital data generated through qualitative and multi-method research in the social and health sciences, law, education and the humanities. Fordham Libraries is an institutional member and offers 7 researchers FREE deposits of digital data and curation advisement during the 2022-2023 academic year.
You must register with a Fordham email address.

General Open Datasets

Want to further explore Open Data and datasets? Take a look at our Open Data Research guide for additional resources.

Psychology: Psychology Datasets

Working with datasets

Open Psychology Data

Other Psychology Data Resources

General Open Datasets

Reference & Instruction Department