FYS (First Year Seminar) - Previous Version of Guide

Facts from reliable, cited sources can make any paper stronger. It can be difficult to decide whether a factual source is reliable or not. The sources of facts below are generally good, but you will need to take a hard look at who is providing the information and what the audience for that information was. News sources, for example, can vary a lot in how reliable they are as sources of facts. If you aren't sure about a particular source, try googling it to find out who the people are who provided the information. Are they neutral or are they pushing a particular agenda? Are they trying to be objective, or are they aligned with a special interest? Though it is impossible for a source to be completely objective, the more neutral and authoritative it is, the more persuasive its facts will be in your argument. 

News Reports

• NexisUni (Formerly Lexis Nexis Academic)
  The most complete database for newspaper, magazine and other popular press articles from 1990 to the present. Sources from all over the world are included. (Warning, the interface is not very user-friendly. But if you want to find a lot of news articles on a particular event or topic, this is the best place to go!)
• Google News Search 
  Good, but it only goes back a few years. On the plus side, it's easier to use than Lexis Nexis. 

Statistics about People, Health, Labor and Ethnic Groups in the U.S. 

• U.S. Census: American FactFinder
  Use the "Guided Search" to find a huge variety of statistics about U.S. residents. You can find population breakdowns by age, gender, race, language, socio-economic status, etc. from the federal level down to a specific zip code.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  Includes facts about employment, joblessness, average wages broken down by region, and more. 
• County Health Rankings
  Includes reports ranking each US county. This site provides facts such as the percentage of people in each county who suffer from poor physical activity, long commutes, "severe housing problems," unemployment, etc. 
• CDC Fast Facts
  The Centers for Disease Control's "Fast Facts" site has statistics on a large range of public health issues, including statistics related to specific age groups (children, older people, etc.), Suicide rates (see under "Injuries"), etc. 
• Special U.S. Census Report on the Homeless (2010)
  "The Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population: 2010" includes statistics on people living in shelters, broken down by age, race, etc. 
• Land and Property Value Statistics (raw data)
  Includes data on property values for areas like Oregon or the Portland Metro area from the 1980s-2015, provided by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy at Rutgers. Warning: this is raw data in Excel tables, so you'll have to analyze the data yourself to get your own statistics. 
• Native Americans: "Fast Facts" from the U.S. Census (2015)
• List of more U.S. national statistics sources on crime and other social issues

Farms, Food & Environment

• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality: Links to Stats & Info
  Links to many sources of information about air quality, waste disposal and environmental site cleanup in the state.
• Oregon Agricultural Statistics
  Statistics sites compiled by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
• USDA Census of Agriculture: Organic Farming Surveys (2008 & 2014)
  "A complete inventory of all known organic producers in the United States that are certified, exempt from certification ... provides valuable, detailed, objective information to help determine the economic impact of organic production at the national and state levels."
• Annual Energy Review
  Reports historical annual energy statistics in the US.
• Envirofacts
  A single point of access to select U.S. Environmental Protection Agency environmental data.
• NASA Global Climate Change Key Indicators
  Includes sea level, arctic sea ice, carbon dioxide concentration, global average temperature, and ozone hole data.
• NOAA Fisheries Statistics Division
  Collects data and coordinates information and research programs to support the science-based stewardship of U.S. marine resources.
• NOAA National Climatic Data Center
  The world's largest active archive of weather data.
• National Resources Conservation Service: State of the Land
  This site provides data and analysis on land use, soil erosion, water quality, wetlands, and other issues regarding the conservation and use of natural resources.
• More sources: See Guide to Environmental Statistics by Michigan State University

Animal Welfare

• Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC)
  A center maintained by the United States Department of Agriculture. Includes information about federal and state laws and links to videos and other tutorials related to animal handling, transportation, and other issues.
• National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research (United Kingdom)
  Standards and practices for using animals in research, including handling, transportation, and humane euthanasia.
• Temple Grandin site on Livestock & Animal Welfare 
  Grandin is a famous expert on humane livestock handling. (She is also very well known for being a person with autism and as a spokesperson on autism.) Her site provides her own expert views and best practices related to animal welfare in agricultural settings and slaughterhouses. 
• USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
  National statistics on number of animals slaughtered and other information.
   

Government Facts

• Oregon Blue Book
  The "Official State Fact Book about all levels of government in Oregon." Describes the duties of all state agencies, offices, etc.; provides links to Legislation; etc. Current info is online. For old facts (like, what committees existed in 1972, etc.) we have old printed Blue Books in the library. Similar sources exist for other U.S. states.
• FDsys
  Comprehensive database of US federal publications from the last 15 years, including legislation, directories, court opinions, etc. This is the online version of what was once the Government Printing Office.
• United States Government Manual
  Official handbook describes the function, structure, etc. of the parts of the federal government, such as the Department of Education, the U.S. Court of Appeals, etc.
• U.S. Election Statistics Resources
  Compilation of links to many different sources of stats on elections.
• World Factbook
  Authoritative statistics about countries around the world, compiled by the CIA. "Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities."