ICPSR
A Guide to Using ICPSR
Resources
Brooke Becker, Reference Librarian for Social Sciences, Official
Representative to ICPSR
babecker@uab.edu
934-6364
What is ICPSR?
• One of the world’s oldest and largest social
science data archives
– Established in 1962 (as ICPR) so that social
scientists could share data
• Data distributed on punch cards, then
magnetic reel-to-reel tape, and now:
– Data available instantaneously
– Over 7,900 studies with over 65,400 data sets
• Membership organization that started as a
partnership among 21 universities, now:
– Currently about 700 members world-wide
– Federal funding allows parts of the collection to be
available to all
What is ICPSR?
Supports a growing number of
disciplines
• Anthropology
• Communications
• Criminal Justice
• Demography
• Economics
• Education
• Foreign Policy
• Gerontology
• Health & Medical Policy
• History
• International Relations
• Law/Legal Services
• Political Sciences
• Psychology
• Public Policy
• Sociology
Data Sources
• ICPSR archives both U.S. and
international data
• Sources:
– Government
(census, government organizations)
– Large data collection efforts
(National Longitudinal
Study of Adolescent Health, Panel Study of Income Dynamics)
– Polls (ABC and CBS news polls, voter polls)
– Principal Investigators (Chitwan Valley Family Study,
Marital Instability Over the Life Course)
– Data repurposed
(Integrated Fertility Survey Series,
Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys, Project on
Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods)
– Other organizations
(NCAA, Fenway Institute)
10 Most Popular Downloads for UAB, 2011-2012
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CBS News/Vanity Fair Monthly Poll, May 2010
General Social Survey, 1972-2010 [Cumulative File]
Early Years of Marriage (EYM) Project, Years 1-4, 1986-1989
American Citizen Participation Study Follow-Up: Singles and
Couples Data, Fall 1993-Winter 1994
CBS News Monthly Poll #1, May 2010
Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), 20012003 [United States]
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES),
1999-2000
Census of Population and Housing, 2000 [United States]:
Summary File 3, National
21st Century Americanism: Nationally Representative Survey
of the United States Population, 2004
National Health Interview Survey, 2009
The MyData Account
• MyData account – operates as
authentication as well as the traditional
shopping cart
• Log on/authenticate once every six months
on campus to maintain access off campus
• Information is kept private. The Official
Representative at each institution has
access to the information for statistical
purposes
Finding Data: Let the Search Begin!
Many search tools found under the Find & Analyze Data tab
Core Partners/Thematic
Collections
• Data grouped by substantive topic/research agency
• Including, among others:
– Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive
(SAMHDA)*
– National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD)*
– National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA)*
– Data Sharing for Demographic Research (DSDR)*
– Member Archive (ICPSR collection)
– Resource Center for Minority Data (RCMD)
– Newest archives:
• National Addiction & HIV Data Archive Program (NADHAP)*
• NCAA
*These archives are federally funded
“Find Publications”
Bibliography of Data-Related Literature
• Publications based on data held at ICPSR
– Find an article in our bibliography
– We display the dataset(s) related to it
• Growing the Data Bibliography
– ICPSR staff continuously search for and add
new data citations
– Encouraging the use of data citations (included in all
downloads & on the documentation page!)
• Ability to see the article citation and click through
for full-text if available
“Search/Compare Variables”
Social Science Variables Database
• The Social Science Variables Database (SSVD)
enables ICPSR users to search for variables
across datasets, compare results, and
download data if desired
• The SSVD currently includes variable-level
documentation for approximately 2,200
studies, which represent about 40 percent of
ICPSR's holdings that have setup files. This
amounts to roughly 1.5 million variables
Analyze Data Online
• Users can perform online data analysis
through ICPSR without downloading files.
ICPSR currently offers online analysis
components for selected data collections
using Survey Documentation Analysis
(SDA)
• You can search by keyword or browse the
SDA capable studies
What does SDA Look Like?
SDA Output
14
Bringing Data Into the Classroom
available under the Resources for Instructors tab at the top of the ICPSR page
• In partnership with teaching faculty, ICPSR
has developed the following
– Short Exercises
• Designed for in-class demonstrations or
supplemental assignments
• includes 49 Data Driven Learning Guides
(DDLGs) in numerous subject areas
• You can browse by subject, analysis type or
data set
Bringing Data Into the Classroom
available under the Resources for Instructors tab at the top of the ICPSR page
• Exercise Sets (Modules)
– Specialized curricula using different thematic
collections including
• Exploring Data Through Research Literature, which
utilizes ICPSR’s Bibliography of Data Related
Literature in the classroom
• Investigating Community and Social Capital, which
uses a specific case on social capital to introduce
students to social science quantitative data
• Voting Behavior in the 2008 Election, part of the
Supplementary Empirical Teaching Units in Political
Science (SETUPS), it uses the American National
Election Survey to teach students about analyzing
data
Bringing Data Into the Classroom
available under the Resources for Instructors tab at the top of the ICPSR page
• Videos for Teaching- includes the
following videos from ICPSR’s YouTube
Channel
o Broadening the Scope and Range of Minority Data -Making Data on Underrepresented Populations
Accessible
o Encouraging Students to Use Their Sociological
Imagination Using Data
o Helping Students to Measure Income and Health
Inequality using Data
o Spice Up Your Lecture with Inquiry-based Learning
o Using ICPSR Data to Teach Deviance and Other Social
Science Concepts
Finally, TeachingWithData.org
Research Opportunities for Students
– Research paper
competitions -- a
research journal
experience & cash
prizes!
– Paid student
internships
focusing on
investigating social
sciences research
ICPSR Summer Program in
Quantitative Methods
• Instruction on the tools and practices needed to
analyze data (for undergraduates, graduate
students, faculty and staff)
• For those with math phobia as well as those with
advanced mathematical/analysis skills
• 3-5 day workshops and 4-8 week courses
• Primarily held in Ann Arbor, MI,
on the campus of The University
of Michigan, but some courses
on other campuses also
•
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/sumprog/
Depositing Your Data With ICPSR
Data Management tab
Data Curation
• ICPSR enhances and adds value to data by
making them easier to use
• We protect respondent privacy
Long-Term Preservation
• ICPSR ensures long-term data availability by
preserving and migrating data to the latest
formats
Worldwide Dissemination
• ICPSR offers data in the major statistical
package formats and online analysis
• We also describe data fully for Web discovery
User Support
• ICPSR staff are available to answer questions
about downloading and using data.
Levels of Access
• ICPSR offers restricted access data services,
and a secure data enclave.
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/acces
s/restricted/index.jsp
Aggregation of Publications
• ICPSR creates a database of citations based on
analyses of your data.
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/citatio
ns/index.jsp
About The Online Data Deposit Form
• Online deposit form was initiated in November, 2006
• Over 800 submissions submitted electronically
• Offers depositors a direct, secure method of data
submission
• Allows depositors to provide a digital signature for
their submission.
• Allows ICPSR Staff to track data progress from initial
submission to release
How Do I Deposit Data?
Deposit Data tab
Before You Deposit……
 Establish MyData Accounts for the depositor, signatory
and additional collaborators
 Depositor should be sure that collaborators and signatory
are ready and available to make their contributions
 Verify that data contains no direct or indirect identifiers
 All collection materials are completed
During your Submission
! Electronic documents containing methodology and
sampling information can be uploaded to that
section
! Depositors updating existing ICPSR studies need
only supply metadata that has changed
! Bundle your collection files for easy upload
! Click the “Finish” button to submit your deposit
Once Completed….
•Once you’ve completed the deposit process, ICPSR
will send two items:
•Deposit Inventory: inventory of the deposited
files which is sent to the depositor, signatory, and
collaborators to review
•Signatory Email: the designated signatory will
receive a message requesting them to review the
submission and the ICPSR data agreement form.
Once the signatory approves the submission and
data agreement, ICPSR can process and
disseminate the data collection.
For More Info:
• Explore the website -
www.icpsr.umich.edu/ICPSR/
• Sign up for our email announcements www.icpsr.umich.edu/ICPSR/org/lists/index.jsp
• Follow ICPSR on Facebook or on Twitter
• Attend or view webinars -
www.icpsr.umich.edu/ICPSR/help/datausers/index.jsp
• Contact user support –
netmail@icpsr.umich.edu ,
Phone: 734-647-2200
• Contact your Official
Representative…moi, Brooke Becker
babecker@uab.edu