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  1. Public source

    World Bank Open Data : Is the latest available value from the latest year?

    World Bank documentation distinguishes most recent values from most recent non-empty ones. Read the value's actual year and selection parameters.

  2. Public source

    ECB Data Portal : Does the same date make two ECB series comparable?

    The ECB disseminates data and metadata through SDMX. Read displayed dates with series key, frequency, unit and observation meaning.

  3. Public source

    ILOSTAT : Do participation and employment use the same numerator?

    Participation divides labour force by working-age population. Employment-to-population uses employed people. Read age, coverage and statistical definition too.

  4. Public source

    UNSD — M49 : Does an M49 region mean a political category?

    The UN describes M49 groupings as statistical convenience. Use codes and grouping definitions without assigning extra political meaning.

  5. Public source

    HAL : Does a HAL record mean you read the text?

    HAL documentation distinguishes deposits with files from bibliographic references. Examine available file, version, identifiers and associated resources before qualifying your reading.

  6. Public source

    Directory of Open Access Journals · DOAJ : Does a journal's current licence cover its archive?

    DOAJ's guide distinguishes a journal's transition to open access and archive terms. Check period and the specific content's licence before reuse.

  7. Public source

    Open Science Framework · OSF : Does the current project preserve the pre-analysis plan?

    OSF describes preregistration as a time-stamped read-only plan posted before collection or analysis. Distinguish that plan, declared updates and current project files.

  8. Public source

    OpenAIRE EXPLORE : Do several access points represent several works?

    OpenAIRE aggregates research-resource metadata. Count identified product, versions and access locations separately; links are not counts of independent confirmations.

  9. Public source

    IANA — Time Zone Database : Does a zone ID mean a fixed UTC offset?

    tz organises civil-time rules and history. A zone name and numeric offset serve different roles: resolve time for the relevant date and retain the rule version.

  10. Public source

    OpenStreetMap : Is an OSM object's number a sufficient key?

    OpenStreetMap nodes, ways and relations have separate ID spaces. Reference type plus number and retain the version to document the state read.

  11. Public source

    Copernicus Browser : Does a cloud filter guarantee a readable area?

    Copernicus Browser combines collection, period, cloud coverage and visualisation choices. Filters select products; then check the useful area's visibility and displayed processing.

  12. Public source

    NASA Worldview : Is export resolution the sensor's resolution?

    Worldview Snapshots offers layer, UTC date, extent, projection, resolution and format choices. These describe the requested image and should accompany evidence captures.

  13. Public source

    USGS EarthExplorer : Do twelve search results mean twelve received files?

    EarthExplorer separates search, browse, metadata and download. Link a retrieved scene to its collection and files actually received.

  14. Public source

    Gallica · BnF : Does a view number match the printed page?

    Gallica services use the digital document's ARK and view information. Keep that locator alongside printed pagination to retrieve a passage in the scan.

  15. Public source

    Companies House : Does finding a name identify the right company?

    Companies House exposes separate company and filing resources. Name searches select candidates; retain the link to the precisely identified company throughout the dossier.

  16. Public source

    SEC EDGAR : Do two XBRL values represent the same amount?

    EDGAR's API can aggregate facts from multiple filings and units. Read concept, unit, start/end dates and original filing before comparing numbers.

  17. Public source

    GLEIF — Global LEI Index : Does a fuzzy result identify your entity?

    GLEIF's API offers fuzzy searches on names and addresses. These find candidates; matching must then examine identifiers and reference data.

  18. Public source

    ICANN Lookup : Does domain data identify a website's author?

    RDAP provides domain-registration data. Read each returned entity's role and event; a domain record is not a content-author record.

  19. Public source

    RIPEstat : Will a usable response remain compatible with collection?

    RIPEstat documents result status and endpoint status separately. Version describes response layout; a major change can require processing changes.

  20. Public source

    Eurostat · Data Browser : Is an absent value a zero?

    Eurostat distinguishes zero, unavailability and observation statuses, including estimated, provisional and series-break flags.

  21. Public source

    Insee · Séries chronologiques : Does a new series code automatically extend the old one?

    Insee provides correspondence tables for tracking series when the base changes.

  22. Public source

    UN System Data Commons : Do two portal tables define the same indicator?

    The UNdata FAQ distinguishes databases and points to definitions and producers.

  23. Public source

    WHO · Global Health Observatory : Does a difference from national statistics prove an error?

    WHO explains that its comparable estimates may differ from official national estimates.

  24. Public source

    FAOSTAT : Are tonnes of product and nutrient interchangeable?

    The Fertilizers by Nutrient domain converts quantities and documents reconstructed values.

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DEEPER READING / PRACTICE

Turn internal search into a useful user journey

A query produces several close results. Reading should help to distinguish the need definition folder, detailed method and implementation tool.

Updated on .

Priority checks

Formulate a specific need and then try neighboring terms. Read the descriptions and select the type of resource according to the searched step: understand, run or control.

Interpretation pitfalls

The first result is not always the best document to the context. An absence can come from the vocabulary used rather than a lack of content.

Working record to retain

A short route connects a need definition page, a guide and a checklist. Maintaining unresolved questions helps to rebuild research.

PRACTICAL CASE / WORKED EXAMPLE

A natural requirement does not match the exact title

The following case illustrates an approach to defining the need. Situations are pedagogical: they serve to examine the choices and conditions of success, without describing a fulfilled mission or announcing a guaranteed result.

Example context

A reader is looking for how to check a number, while the resources use the word indicator. The results must allow to continue despite a different formulation of the title.

Suggested approach

Try the neighboring terms and read the descriptions. Differentiate methods of calculation, comparison and verification of sources. Choose the resource that corresponds to the actually sought-by-step.

Conclusion and next step

Research becomes a path of solution. The questions still open serve to clarify the next query instead of multiplying the words without clear intention.

Questions for deeper practice

How do you improve a search without losing the initial need?

Keep the starting question and then specify the object, operation and resource type. Useful results give a complementary vocabulary, but their title should not automatically replace the reader's target.

DETAILED WORKSHOP / APPLICATION

Refine a query for the task to carry out

  1. 01 / Prepare the necessary information

    Describe the initial question and the desired result. Identify the object, operation and type of resource that could help: file, method or tool.

  2. 02 / Carry out the approach

    Try a formulation and read the descriptions. Release the useful terms and test the variants without giving up the intention. Compare the resources found according to their contribution to the route.

  3. 03 / Examine an alternative situation

    If the results are close but too general, specify the operation or scope. A well-classed page is not necessarily the one that meets the searched step.

  4. 04 / Decide on the next step

    Research is useful when it leads to a resource whose response can be identified. Open questions are used to prepare for the next consultation.

  5. 05 / Hand over the verification records

    Keep a short track with request, resource and supplement. The reader can restart his work without repaired the tests that have led to useful content.

ANNOTATED WORKING DOCUMENT / REVIEW GRID

A track record from a request

The note retains question, tried formulations, useful results and next resource. It distinguishes the exploration vocabulary from the initial goal of the reader.

On a small screen, scroll the grid horizontally to read all three columns.

Example situations to assess
ObservationSupported interpretationNext step
A resource responds to the desired operation.The result can serve as a useful step in the course.Keep the passage and choose the necessary supplement.
The results remain general despite the good topic.The request must specify action, object or scope.Try an appropriate formulation without losing the initial question.
The first result has the word but not the answer.The presence of the term does not prove its relevance.Read the descriptions and compare the contribution of resources.

Reviewing the working document

The final verification verifies that each step reduces an open question. A link list is not yet a useful path if the reader cannot explain what each page brings.

REPORTING / EXAMPLE WORDING

Presentation of results: Turn internal search into a useful user journey

Point to clarify

A search result must be judged according to its contribution to the searched operation.

Before handing over

Check that the track keeps the initial question despite the vocabulary variants.

Example of a qualified conclusion

The resource selected meets the described stage of the need. The questions still open guidelines the next consultation and remain distinct from the answer found.