Statistics Research for Lawyers: Home

I.      Home
II.     Where to Start?
III.    Subject Specific Resources
        i.      Business & Economics
        ii.     Criminal Justice & Public Safety
        iii.    Education
        iv.    Health & Environment
        v.     History & Government Affairs
        vi.    Immigration & Int'l Affairs
        vii.   Labor & Employment
IV.    Visualizing Data

Scholar One Search Library catalog

Law Library Homepage

Law Research Databases 

Lexis Access restrictions apply

Westlaw Access restrictions apply

Bloomberg Law Access restrictions apply

Looking for data or statistics for a research project but unsure where to find them? This guide will provide you with information on different resources available for you to use. 

Many resources are provided for free online by the Federal, state, or local governments, or by non-profit organizations. However, some of the resources have access restrictions, or are only available on NU's campus (physical books, for example). All access restrictions or limitations will be noted throughout this LibGuide.

Many statistical resources not listed in this guide are available at the Law School Library or at Snell Library. If you're unable to locate what you're looking for by using this guide (especially if you're looking for historical data and statistics), try using ScholarOne Search.

For an in-depth look at statistics in social science research, see Snell Library's Social Science Statistics Guide.

Before you start researching, you should make sure you have the following information about your subject:

• Time Period: Are you looking for information on a single point in time, or do you want to see changes over time? (You should keep in mind that it takes time to compile statistics, so the most recent results for your subject may be a year or more old).
• Geographic Area: Do you want information on a specific area? It is usually much easier to find information on areas with borders (countries, states, counties, etc.) than areas without borders (neighborhoods, for example).
• Demographics: Are you looking for information for the population at large, or for a specific subset of the population? Many statistics can be broken down by race, gender, age, or other factors.

Knowing this information prior to searching will help you locate sources quicker and easier.

Are you having trouble understanding the statistical concepts you're researching, or having trouble figuring out how to incorporate statistics into your legal work? Check out these books on statistics for lawyers, available at the Law Library.