A visual guide for selecting secondary data sources

Secondary data is an extremely valuable tool for mental health research. However, choosing a secondary data source can be a complicated task, as there are many sources to choose from that vary in their quality and ease-of-use. To help simplify the process, we've created this visual table which summarizes the major domains included in 21 valuable data sources for mental health research. A few notes in using this table: 

  • This high-level overview is meant to be a starting place if you are getting acquainted with secondary data. We cannot possibly capture the richness of each data source in one table, so in most (if not all) cases, there will be variation within domains, as well as other domains not covered by this table. 
  • This table is organized by the number of domains captured in each dataset (from most to fewest), but it is important to note that more domains does not equate to a higher quality data source. 
  • Identifying the appropriate dataset for your needs depends entirely on the question you are trying to answer. This table is meant to serve as a helpful starting point, but there are many other sources of high-quality that are not included here. 
  • We provide more information, including specific measures and example publications, on each dataset designated with * on our website.
  • If you need additional guidance on identifying or working with a particular dataset, you can request consultation from our team at efdc-datadesign@umich.edu

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