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How do I find an original dataset used in a research study article?

A dataset (also spelled ‘data set’) is a collection of raw statistics and information generated by a research study.

Several resources may be consulted and strategies applied in order to locate the actual datasets used in a research article. 


Locating Datasets in ACM Digital Library database

  1. Access the ACM Digital Library database from the A-Z Databases List. 
  2. Using the search box, enter your keyword terms to locate relevant research articles on your topic. 
  3. Datasets from a research article may be included as Zip files or Txt files. Using the filters on the left-hand side of the search results page and under Refine by Publications, limit your results to Zip or Txt under Content Formats.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             ACM Digital Library search results refined by content formats                                                                                                     
  4. Review your results and ensure that icons for Artifacts are included. Artifacts include digital objects that were either created by the authors to be used as part of the study or generated by the experiment itself. For example, artifacts can be software systems, scripts used to run experiments, input datasets, raw data collected in the experiment, or scripts used to analyze results. Below is a list of badges that denote the availability of datasets, including Artifacts Available, Artifacts Evaluated-Functional and Artifacts Evaluated-Reusable:                                                                                                                                                 Artifact badges in ACM Digital Library                                                                                                                                                                                      Below is a sample search result:Sample search result in ACM Digital Library with Artifacts badges displayed                           
  5. To access the artifacts for a particular search result, click on the article link. You will be routed to the resource page. Using the Source Material tab, review the content links under Linked Artifacts to access.                                                                                                                                                                ACM search result with linked artifacts under Source Materials

Locating Datasets in IEEE Xplore Digital Library database

  1. Access the IEEE Xplore Digital Library database from the A-Z Databases List. 
  2. Using the search box, enter your keyword terms to locate relevant research articles on your topic.                     IEEE Xplore Digital Library search box         
  3. Using the filters on the left-hand side of the search results page, select Datasets under Supplemental Items and apply the filter. Search results will reflect the full research article available in a PDF or HTML format along with access to the dataset, which is indicated by the "dataset icon."                                           Search Filters in IEEE Xplore Digital Library showing limiter for DatasetsIEEE search result with a dataset

For more information on locating datasets, visit the Datasets page on the Research Process LibGuide.




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