Hi there,
Thanks for writing in! Since there’s many cities named Browning in different states, it can be tricky trying to look up statistics (numbers/data) for a value (thing you’re looking for/measuring) in a situation like this – because if you are not careful, you might get results for a city in a completely different state than the one you wanted! So alternatively, I’ll share with you how I would go about this, so that you can have some direction in finding the actual answers you’re looking for 🙂
First off, when it comes to looking up information, it’s always a good idea to keep 3 golden rules in mind:
- Dates: If available, always check the date of the resource – is this information from this year? This past year? 3 years ago? A decade ago? Typically, the more outdated a statistical item, the less accurate it can be. Additionally, since the new year just began, it may be hard finding statistics of things, since measurements haven’t been done yet; therefore I always try to look for things within the past year or so, 3 years max.
- Sources: Does the source end in .org, .edu, or .gov? If so, most likely it is coming from an educational site or holds some updated evidence, which is considerably reliable; Even so, it’s still a good idea to read in between the lines for possible, potential biases and rhetoric, or check any listed sponsorships, to get an idea of the type of info you’re being presented with – data can be done in a way that tells a completely different story, so be mindful about this to confirm your findings.
- Authors: Does it show who the author is, or who is responsible for the information? This can be helpful in ensuring if you have a good resource, that way you can search for more about the individual or group to see what other works they are involved in. This helps with getting an idea of what you’re getting and if it seems like a trustworthy resource or not!
Now that you have Cousin Asia’s cheat sheet for life (joking, just a personal golden rule for googling) let’s get into how you can google STD/STI stats!
I would typically start by going to a search engine you’re most comfortable using and familiar with – for me, that’s google, so I’ll be using that as an example. I may type “STD statistics for city, state” (or something similar) in the search bar and see what comes up. Also it can be helpful to include which specific STD/STI you’re looking for, as well as the year for this information – for example: “chlamydia statistics for city, state 2021”
One cool thing worth mentioning about Google is that it has a specific search engine for reliable resources called “Google Scholar.” This is a really great resource that I wish I knew sooner. You can filter out your search with dates, citations, etc. so that’s always good to remember if you’re having trouble looking up info.
I hope some of these tips help you and good luck with your search!
Best,
Cousin Asia
