Dataset Search Quickstart Guide

Let’s say you want to find datasets on a particular topic. 

Visit datasetsearch.research.google.com.

If you’d like to use the site in a language other than English, click on the icon in the bottom left corner to select your language.

Then, enter the topic into the search bar.

Take a quick look at the number of results. Click each entry to view details about the dataset. 

Read the description to see if the dataset will be appropriate for your use case. 

If your query is too broad, you can use search engine operators like site: and - to further tailor your search.

global temperatures site:noaa.gov

This will restrict your results just the noaa.gov domain.

global temperatures -site:noaa.gov

This will remove all results from the noaa.gov domain.

You can also modify your search with additional terms to help narrow down results.

global ocean temperatures

You can also apply any of the following filters to your results.

Last Updated - Chose from datasets updated in the past month, year, or three years

Download Format - Chose among table, text, image, or other download formats

• Alternatively, you can also add specific file formats to your search (e.g., global temperatures csv)

Usage Rights - Filter based on whether datasets allow commercial or noncommercial use

Topic - Filter by high-level disciplines such as social sciences or life sciences

Free - Toggle to enable datasets that are free to use

You can select multiple values for each filter and also apply multiple filters. These filters are based on values from the data providers.

Save datasets that you’d like to come back to by pressing the save button in the upper right corner.

View all your saved datasets by selecting the Saved datasets button.

After reading the description and deciding that the dataset is useful, click on the blue button to navigate to the external site.

There may be multiple blue buttons if the dataset is hosted in multiple places. Use your best judgement on the reliability of the link.

Once you are on the external site, look for options to explore or download the dataset. 

If you would like to cite a dataset, click on the citation button to automatically generate a citation for you to copy.

Click on the share button to share your dataset search results with other people.