Using statistics can add credibility to your writing and provide a more comprehensive look at whatever topic you are researching. However, not all sets of data are created equally. Including poor quality data can detract from your credibility as a writer - just like you would fact-check and verify that the articles you are using for sources are correct, you should also do the same for data and statistics. Keep the following questions in mind as you begin searching for data sets.
- Who is the author of the statistics and research? Was it a for-profit company, a government agency, a specific organization or person? Would the person gathering the statistics have any biases? What credentials do they have? Are they an authority on the subject?
- When was the data compiled? Is the time period that the data was collected relevant to the time period that you are writing about?
- Who published the data? Is it a peer-reviewed journal? Is it a trustworthy organization?
- How does the data compare to similar data sets? Can the statistics be verified?
- How was the data collected? How many respondents were there? Is the sample size sufficient?
