A dataset is a collection of data that can be analysed to find information. For example, while looking at a dataset a researcher might discover a trend or pattern that could be of importance to their research question.

There is a lot of useful data that is freely available on the internet, and many sites like the ones below are actively curating data to make it more manageable and shareable. 

Data.gov.au describes itself as follows:

Data.gov.au provides an easy way to find, access and reuse public datasets from Government. The purpose of this online service is to encourage public access to and reuse of government data by providing it in useful formats and under open licences.

The site provides both downloadable datasets and links to online data services provided by other government sources. Improving the quantity and quality of the site’s data will be an ongoing process. 

(from the About section of the website)

The Australian National Data Services describes Research Data Australia as follows:

Research Data Australia helps you find, access, and reuse data for research from over one hundred Australian research organisations, government agencies, and cultural institutions. We do not store the data itself here [on the RDA website] but provide descriptions of, and links to, the data from our data publishing partners.

(from the About section of the website)

Sage Research Methods Online : Datasets is a collection of datasets available to browse or search for data to use for your own data analysis practice.

Hot Topics in Research Methods: Big Data Analysis  Although focused on social science research, the Case Study examines the methodological problems in using big data in financial crime research.

The World Bank describes the Open Data initiative as follows:

The World Bank's Open Data initiative is intended to provide all users with access to World Bank data, according to the Open Data Terms of Use. The data catalog is a listing of available World Bank datasets, including databases, pre-formatted tables, reports, and other resources.

(from the Data Catalogue section of the website)

UNdata describes itself as follows:

The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) launched a new internet based data service for the global user community. It brings UN statistical databases within easy reach of users through a single entry point (http://data.un.org/).

Useful features like Country Profiles, Advanced Search and Glossaries are also provided to aid research. The numerous databases, tables and glossaries containing over 60 million data points cover a wide range of themes. Whilst this initial version of UNdata is fully equipped with all the functionalities for data access, the development team is continuously adding new databases and features to further enhance the usefulness to users. 

(from the About section of the website)