Support for various methods of data analysis - both quantitative and qualitative - exists across Harvard's campus and online. Also posted are data related events, webinars, tutorials and other trainings at Harvard and beyond.
Support Resources by Method
Harvard Kennedy School
- PAE/SYPA Data & Methods Course Assistants are available courtesy of Library & Research Services. They are available at the beginning of each spring semester to support MPP and MPA/ID students working on PAE or SYPA. Visit our KNet site for details, contact information, and to schedule an appointment.
- Artificial Intelligence in Action is an HKS student organization that brings together folks interested in policy, tech, engineering, and social science to explore the nuanced potential of AI in society.
Digital Scholarship Support Group
The Digital Scholarship Support Group is a Harvard-wide initiative that functions as a single point of entry to many data-related University resources. It includes staff with expertise in technical, pedagogical, and subject-specific areas across disciplinary and divisional borders. Services provided include:
- Digital literacy training
- Educational workshops
- Research support with weekly drop-in hours open to all Harvard affiliates
Harvard Statistics Consulting Service
The Department of Statistics offers free, drop-in consulting services on statistical issues to Harvard affiliates. Statistics PhD students are available to assist in all forms of data analysis and interpretation, including but not limited to:
- Causal inference
- Experimental design
- Classification and prediction (machine learning)
- Statistical issues arising from big data sets
- Time series
- Model fitting
- Data visualization
Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences
IQSS provides research data support to Harvard affiliates. Services they offer include:
- Data science consultations of up to three hours per person (limited to those working on any piece of research whose ultimate outcome is publication in a peer-reviewed journal). Expertise is available on:
- Data organization -- sharing and secure storage
- Data processing and cleaning
- Programming -- R, Python, Stata, SAS, SPSS, Matlab
- Project planning -- study design and tools
- Selection and interpretation of statistical methods
- Using high-performance computing -- RCE, AWS
- Visualization
- Workshops
- Online training materials
- Preceptors who can consult on specific data-related topics
Online Resources
- OpenIntro Statistics - free and open-source introductory textbook and labs using R
- Online learning, documentation, webinars, and community - R website
- Big Book of R - website with links to 150+ mostly free R programming books
- R Statistics Essential Training - LinkedIn Learning
- R for Data Science - freely accessible R textbook and guide
- STATA video tutorials
- Introduction to STATA 15 - LinkedIn Learning
- Documentation, book, and online courses - OpenRefine and the OpenRefine Foundation
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The Data Management Training (DMT) Clearinghouse is a registry for online learning resources focusing on research data management. It was created in a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey's Community for Data Integration, the Earth Sciences Information Partnership (ESIP), and DataONE
- Choosing the Correct Statistical Test in SAS, Stata, SPSS and R (UCLA)
- Data Analysis Examples (UCLA)
- Getting started in data analysis using Stata and R (Princeton)
-
Software and tools — UK Data Service Data Skills Module: Exploring crime surveys with R - Overview
Center for Geographic Analysis
The CGA supports research cross the University with emerging geospatial technologies, in the following ways:
- Training programs and technical workshops
- Online tutorials
- Research consultations (available at $85/hour)
- Analyzing spatial data
- Creating/editing data
- Organizing data
- Presenting
Harvard Graduate School of Design
GSD's guide to Geospatial and Statistical Data Resources can help you:
- Find access to online tutorials
- Locate geospatial data by geographic region and type
- Find statistics resources
- Cite your geographic data
- Understand GPS units
- Understand web mapping basics
- Find library books on GIS and data
Harvard Map Collection
The Harvard Map Collection offers Harvard affiliates cartographic design support, including help with software like ArcGIS, QGIS, and online interfaces. Email the Map Collection with your question or to set up a one-on-one consultation.
Register for the GIS in the Libraries Canvas page for helpful information and videos
Lamont Multimedia Lab
The Lamont Multimedia Lab offers mapping support in the following ways:
Online Resources
- Tutorials, documentation, and community support - from ESRI, leading GIS developer
- Geospatial Analysis - free online guide
- LinkedIn Learning - access to GIS software tutorials (Harvard login)
- Working with GIS data? Librarians can help with that - article from Syracuse University
Harvard Kennedy School
- Data and Method Coaches are available courtesy of Library & Research Services. They are available at the beginning of each spring semester to support MPP and MPA/ID students working on PAE or SYPA. Visit our KNet site for details, contact information, and to schedule an appointment.
- HKS Library Resources for Your PAE provides information on research resources, customized to each HKS policy area:
- HKS Research Methods on Demand enables you to:
- Explore qualitative methods and supplement your knowledge of quantitative methods included in core MPP and MPA/ID courses
- Find introductions to a range of research methods and key readings
- Review model PAEs, SYPAs and examples of methods work masters students have used in their research
SAGE Research Methods
SAGE Research Methods is an online resource that supports research in virtually all disciplines through access to various online materials that can guide users through every step of the research process (Harvard login). Materials include:
- Books
- Videos and articles on quantitative and qualitative methods
- Case studies
- Project design tools
- Podcasts
- Datasets
Lamont Library
Qualitative research support is offered through Lamont Library. In addition to their Guide to Qualitative Research at Harvard, they provide:
- Individual consultations during office hours
- Workshops
Online Resources
- Online courses - Nvivo
- Nvivo 2018 Essential Training - LinkedIn Learning
Visualization Support at Harvard Library / Lamont Multimedia Lab
Visualization Support at Harvard Library offers training, help, and consultations on data visualization, including on the use of tools like Tableau.
- Email Jess Cohen-Tanugi to set up a one-on-one consultation
- Attend a workshop on data visualization
Online Resources
- Harvard affiliates can download Tableau for free
- Tableau Essential Training - LinkedIn Learning
- Training videos and online learning - Tableau website
Events, Webinars and Tutorials
- US Census 2022 Back to Data Basics Webinar SeriesEach webinar will give you foundational information and skills necessary to work with data from the Census Bureau. The series will offer 2-4 webinars every month from January to September 2022.
- Understanding Society (The UK Household Longitudinal Study): Training | Understanding Society
Past Events and Training Resources
- Visual Eloquence. Friday, March 4, from 10-12 pm.Visual Eloquence is a participatory workshop on visualizing data and understanding the powerful role it plays in analysis and presentation for digital scholarship. You will learn some fundamentals principles for presenting data and work with others to put them into action. The workshop will feature brief presentations, a collaborative small-group exercise working with a dataset and visualization tools to create a visual presentation, and a discussion.
- De-identifying Qualitative data Webinar - February 22, 2022 noon (Eastern)De-identifying qualitative data poses unique challenges given their structure and contextual richness. As qualitative data sharing is becoming more common, reliably de-identifying such data is crucial because participants in qualitative research projects commonly receive assurances of confidentiality. This webinar brings together speakers from three different groups working on de-identifying – and sharing – qualitative data to talk about their methods and tools.