Research & Data

If you're conducting your own quantitative research, managing and storing your data is a major component to the process. The UW Libraries has an entire team of data librarians ready to support you in finding relevant research data or identifying tools to make your research process more smooth.

Data & the UW Libraries

The Data Resources and Data Management Guides provide links to useful physical and virtual resources for finding, analyzing, visualizing, and managing data. Use the data Campus Support Links to an external site. to learn more about creating and maintaining a data management plan, how to arrange and organize data into user-friendly formats, and how to share, store, and publish your data. Also watch for the online Research Data Management Planning workshops held 2-3 times each year.

An image of the Data Lifecycle from concept to analysis.

Common Research Tools for Data

UW provides support for a number of tools Links to an external site. that can help you throughout the research lifecycle. The UW also offers a number of storage options Links to an external site. for your data. Tools include:

  • DMPTool (Data Management Plan Tool): Links to an external site. DMPTool walks users step-by-step through the requirements for a variety of funders, provides examples, and exports a text-based data management plan that can easily be inserted into a grant. 
  • Open Science Framework Links to an external site.: OSF is an open source cloud-based project management platform. It is designed to help teams collaborate in one centralized location. Teams can connect third-party services that they already use (such as GitHub, Google Drive, and Amazon Web Services) directly to the OSF workspace.
  • ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) Links to an external site.: ORCiD provides a persistent digital identifier for researchers that distinguishes you from every other researcher and supports automated linkages between you and your professional activities, ensuring that your work is recognized.
  • ResearchWorks Archive Links to an external site.: ResearchWorks Archive is the University of Washington’s digital repository (also known as “institutional repository”) for disseminating scholarly work. It can accept any digital file format or content (examples include numerical datasets, photographs and diagrams, working papers, technical reports, pre-prints and post-prints of published articles). Faculty, researchers and students of the University of Washington may deposit materials and get a persistent URL.
  • Tableau Links to an external site.: Software designed to make visualizing data simple. License agreements between the UW and Tableau make Tableau products available at reduced or no cost to students, faculty and staff.
  • REDCap Links to an external site.: Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) is a rapidly evolving web tool developed for researchers in the translational domain. It features a high degree of customizability for your forms and advanced user right control, as well as unlimited survey functionality, sophisticated export module, and is HIPAA compliant. 

Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences (CSSS)

CSSS provides free statistical consulting to UW faculty and students working on social science problems. Get guidance at any stage of a project from study design and planning, selection of methods, to the interpretation of results. Offers drop-in consultation hours as well as scheduled appointments.

For more information, visit the CSSS website Links to an external site..

Departments of Biostatistics & Statistics

Faculty and graduate students in the Consulting Program of these departments offer free statistical advice to UW faculty, staff, and students. They have expertise in R and Stata but work using whatever statistical software is more convenient for clients. 

For more information, visit the statistical consulting services website Links to an external site..