Research Guides: Data Services: Consultations

Contact Data Services

Email dataservices@brandeis.edu.

Dr. Margarita Corral - Data Analysis Specialist

Make an Appointment with Margarita

Ford Fishman - Data Analysis Specialist for Science

Make an Appointment with Ford

Alex Willett - GIS and Social Sciences Librarian

GIS Appointment

Other subject liaisons

Live chat with a librarian is available from Monday to Friday, 11 am to 5 pm.

Consultations for Data Services

Schedule a free consultation with Data Analysis Specialists, Dr. Margarita Corral and Ford Fishman, or GIS Librarian, Alex Willett.

For general questions, you can also use the "Chat with a Librarian" button on any of the Research pages to chat with a librarian during service hours.

Who can get a consultation?

Consultation services are available to Brandeis community members, including

undergraduates
graduate students
faculty and researchers.

What might a consultation with Data Services look like?

Get help with programming languages and packages for data handling and statistical analysis
Get advice on statistical methods for a variety of data types
Evaluate research and data management practices for reproducible science and compliance

What might a consultation with GIS Services look like?

Get help finding, evaluating, and preparing data for use in GIS projects.
Get support for adding/creating, editing, symbolizing, analyzing, and presenting data in supported software packages (ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS StoryMaps, Google Earth, QGIS, R, Social Explorer, etc.)
Get help interpreting geospatial file types, extensions, and common error messages.
Get guidance with documentation and other help resources for conducting advanced or discipline-specific analyses in GIS.

Make a GIS Appointment

Finding Data

We can help you find reliable data:

for your topic
from reputable organizations and researchers
in formats you can use - or we can help you migrate them
that is free!

Managing Data

We can help you manage your data by:

creating and following a Data Management Plan, which are also required by many granting agencies
organizing files logically, with file names and folder structures that let you find what you need when you look for them later
storing files and written information securely, whether on your own computer or on Brandeis-provided research shares or cloud storage
keeping your data clean, with explicit units, explanations for missing values, and other metadata to make your data make sense

Analyzing Data

Learn software tools to help make sense of your data. Our Data Analysis Specialists are well versed in quantitative and qualitative programs like

Want to get started on your own? Open the Data Analysis Research Guide for social sciences or the Scientific Computation Guide.

The High Performance Computing Cluster is available to researchers with big data or big analysis needs. Please read up on usage best practices in the Knowledge Base.

Mapping Data

Maps provide incredible context for data! Our GIS librarian can help:

find geospatial and tabular data needed to create your map
teach workshops or one-on-one consultations on software like ArcGIS, QGIS, Social Explorer, etc.
brainstorm a mapping assignment for technical concerns or workload feasibility

Want to get started on your own? Open the GIS Research Guide.