ENGL 121: Composition Course Guide - Varley: Finding News & Statistics

The Library of Congress provides research reports to members of Congress on a wide varitey of current issues and topics.

Many of these reports are available to you for free!

Use Open CRS to search for reports on your topic.

Learning to find and use statistics can be tough. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• National and even regional statistics on things like demographics are often going to be old. The census is only taken once every ten years, and smaller surveys may appear every three or five years. You'll find the most recent statistics in articles.

• Statistics are typically gathered from government sources, from companies like news agencies, or by academic researchers. Keep in mind who is garthering statistics and why when you consider using them. What biases might be involved?

• Many statistic sites will allow you to download tables and then manipulate them using software like excel. This can make it easy to find percentages and do other math. Can't figure out how? Ask a librarian!

One of the best ways to get general information about a topic is to find a news article on it! Use the following resources to find newspaper and magazine articles on a variety of subjects. For specific tips about each resource, click the  button.

In addition to these resources, keep in mind that you can often find statistics on more specific topics in academic articles and other studies, as well as in news articles and online. 

Tip: If you find a reference to useful statistics or studies in a news article or on a webpage, look for a source, then see if you can track down the original numbers. Try googling the study name or the department responsible for the study. It is always better to use the original, primary source.