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Statistics: Power from Data! is an e-book from Statistics Canada that will help in getting the most from statistics. It includes definitions, examples, exercises and a glossary.
OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms: contains a comprehensive set of definitions of the main data items collected by the Organisation. The Glossary also contains definitions of key terminology and concepts and commonly used acronyms.
Data management planning with DMP Assistant now available
DMP Assistant is a bilingual tool for preparing data management plans (DMPs). The tool follows best practices in data stewardship and walks researchers step-by-step through key questions about data management.
- Sign up with DMP Assistant
- Sign in and select a template under Organizations. The Portage template is the default.
- Answer the questions that are relevant to your work. Guidance and examples are provided.
- Revisit the tool throughout your research to review or revise your answers.
Data librarian
Tomasz Mrozewski, MLIS
Email: tmrozewski@laurentian.ca
Tel.: 705-675-1151 ext. 3325
Need help?
I am available for research consultations throughout the academic year.
Proxy access
Proxy server accounts are available to Laurentian University members who wish to use licensed products from off campus.
Statistics
What Are Statistics?
Statistics, or aggregate data, are figures that are collected and reported as a sum or total. Statistics summarize raw data.
The table below shows raw data (left) collected from individual persons, and the aggregated data (right) which summarizes the findings.
Canadian Statistics
CANSIM Homepage: CANSIM (Canadian Socio-Economic Information Management System) data are now available free of charge under the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement. Updated daily. How to use CANSIM.
CANSIM Multidimensional: contains over 900,000 time series covering a wide variety of enhanced access to CANSIM data. The University of Toronto's CHASS provides access to CANSIM data which is updated daily. CANSIM Multidimensional help.
Statistics Canada surveys and statistical programs: a list of Statistics Canada surveys by topic. The page for each survey provides links to the relevant CANSIM tables and to the survey documentation. For information on the Canadian Census of Population, see the Census tab in this subject guide.
data.gc.ca (Canada) and Ontario open data: the governments of Canada and Ontario have data portals which provide statistical tables and data sets from numbers government departments and agencies.
International Statistics
Eurostat: the Statistical Office of the European Communities. The website is updated daily and provides direct access to the latest and most complete statistical information available on the European Union, the EU Member States, the Euro Zone and other countries. Eurostat: Publications and Databases Guide
OECD iLibrary Statistics: provides a single online platform where users can discover and access statistical databases from the OECD. You will be able to build tables and extract data from across databases as well as work within individual databases. Includes data and metadata for OECD countries and selected non-member economies. Help Guide.
UNdata: a portal to United Nations databases. Currently, there are 24 databases and 6 glossaries containing approximately 60 million data points and covering a whole range of statistics including Population, Industry, Energy, Trade and National Accounts. Useful features like Country Profiles, Advanced Search and Glossaries are also provided to aid research.
Census
2011 Census of Population
Statistics Canada Census homepage: The 2011 Census offers a wide range of analysis and data according to topics that paint a portrait of Canada.
Hightlight Tables: These tables provide population and dwelling counts established by the 2011 Census of Canada.
2011 Census Profile: This profile presents information from the 2011 Census of Population for various levels of geography, including provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas, communities and census tracts.
Topic-based tabulations: These present a portrait of Canada based on the various census topics.
Visual Census: This product presents time series information from various censuses of population. The time series is presented in both graphical and tabular format with the capability to download the information in various delimited formats.
2011 National Household Survey (NHS)
Statistics Canada NHS homepage: In 2011 Statistics Canada replaced the mandatory long-form census with the voluntary National Household Survey (NHS). Please see StatCan's notes on NHS data quality and comparability of the NHS to the previous Census before using NHS data.
NHS data tables: provide data for various levels of geography on topics including Aboriginal People, Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity, Education and Labor, Mobility and Migration, Income and Housing.
NHS profile: this profile presents information from the 2011 National Household Survey for various levels of geography, including provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas, communities and census tracts.
2011 Aboriginal Population Profile: provides data about Aboriginal children, youth and adults (Métis, Inuit and off-reserve North American Indian) living in urban, rural and northern locations across Canada.
Additional Census Information
History of the Census of Canada
How to Cite Statistics Canada Products
Census-related Topics and Subtopics
Canadian Census Analyser from CHASS: enhanced access to Canadian Census data maintained by the CHASS Facility at the University of Toronto. Can be accessed by users from Canadian universities that are members of Data Liberation Initiative consortium. Bilingual interface for data extraction. How to use the Canadian Census Analyser.
Archived Census websites:
Research Data
What Is Research Data?
Research data, also known as raw data, are data that have not been processed. This picture shows data displayed in SPSS where the numbers in rows represent a specific unit of observation (individual, household) and the numbers in columns are the values of variables.
Search Data in
Help Guides
Guide to using <odesi> in five easy steps (PDF)
<odesi> subject guide (Scholars Portal): A subject guide in the same format as this one, which provides detailed information about using <odesi>.
Statistics Canada Research Data
Data Liberation Initiative (DLI): Statistics Canada division which makes available public use microdata files (PUMFs), databases and geographic files. The DLI primarily distributes StatCan microdata but also includes the Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) and some data from the Canadian Insistute for Health Information's Discharge Abstract Database (DAD). Some of these files may be retrieved from the <odesi> portal. Other files must be requested directly from the Data Librarian. For more information, please contact data@laurentian.ca.
Health Data
Statistics Canada Sources
Canadian Community Health Survey: The central objective of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) is to gather health-related data at the sub-provincial levels of geography (health region or combined health regions). CCHS microdata files are available through <odesi>.
Health statistics in CANSIM: See a list of all StatCan statistics on health-related topics, including aggregate tables from the CCHS.
Health Profile: This profile features community-level data from a number of sources including Statistics Canada's health surveys, administrative data, and the census of population. The application is designed to give quick access to the latest health-related data available for a selected health region, providing the corresponding provincial data by default, but users can easily select any region of choice for comparison.
Other Canadian Sources
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI): an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides essential information on Canada’s health system and the health of Canadians. Statistics are available directly from the CIHI website. As of fall 2013, access to Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) microfiles is available through the DLI. Contact the data librarian for details: data@laurentian.ca.
Chronic Disease Infobase: Public Health Agency of Canada's portal, which allows profiling of the epidemiology of major non-communicable diseases in Canada including most current cancers, cardiovascular and respitory diseases by province/territory and by regional health unit. Data can be displayed in the form of tables, graphs and maps. How to use the Chronic Disease Infobase.
Statistical Analysis Software
SPSS
Most downloadable data and metadata are compliant with SPSS. SPSS is installed computers all over campus. Faculty and staff can have the software installed on their computers by Information Technology Services (ext. 2200). Students should also contact IT services to find about licensing SPSS on their own computers.
Beyond 20/20
Data Services
JND Library Data Services
The JND Library offers the following services offered by Data Librarian Tomasz Mrozewski. To learn more, please email tmrozewski@laurentian.ca or call (705) 675-1151 ext. 3325.
DOI Creation and Data Registration with Datacite Canada
A digital object identifier (DOI) enables your work to be uniquely identified and retrieved from the entire set of documents available on the Web. Datacite Canada, a service of National Research Council Canada, provides free DOI creation and data registration services.
Laurentian University is partnered with Datacite Canada. Researchers may have DOIs created for their datasets and have them registered with Datacite for free. Registered datasets will usually be stored and publicly accessible in LU Zone, also for free. Where privacy and confidentiality issues prevent a dataset from being publicly accessible, alternative storage options may be arranged.
The Data Librarian is available to deposit the dataset and create standards-compliant metadata, as well as for consultation on storage formats and documentation.
Data Management Plan (DMP) Advisory Services
An increasing number of funders request Data Management Plans (DMPs) as part of the application process. We can help! The Data Librarian is available for consultation and assistance in developing DMPs. The Data Librarian recommends using Portage's DMP Assistant to create comprehensive DMPs.
RedCap Advisory Services
RedCap is Laurentian's online data collection tool, a great way to securely and efficiently administer surveys and aggregate and analyze the results. The Data Librarian is available for consultation and assistance in implementing surveys in RedCap.
Data Publication and Storage Advisory Services
Should LU-affiliated researchers desire to publish and store their data with services other than Datacite and LU Zone, the Data Librarian is available for advisory services and to assist with the publication and deposit process. Possible services include: metadata scheme selection, metadata creation, preparation of data for deposit, selection of data repository, and advice on copyright/IP/licensing options.
Searching for Research Data
The data librarian is available for assistance with and instruction in search and retrieval of outside data repositories and archives.