Guide to Social Science Data Preparation and Archiving

Guide to Social Science Data Prepa= ration and Archiving

Supported b= y The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Third Editi= on, March 2002

Introduction<= o:p>

Over the years, we have found that many investigators = are more than willing to make their data available to others, but they are stym= ied by the task of preparing data for outside use, particularly in terms of complete documentation. We also find that many of the datasets that we rece= ive have one or more problems that might have been prevented had the investigat= or thought about the issues in advance. This guide is intended to help researchers document their datasets and prepare them for archiving. The guide is written with the assumption that the reader is familiar with basic concepts of computerized data files, such as variables, fields, codes, and so forth. (F= or those to whom these concepts are new, a glossary appears at the end of this document.)

While this guide is aimed at those engaged in the task= of preparing data for deposit in a public archive, most of the topics covered = here are of interest to anyone creating a dataset. ICPSR welcomes investigators = to contact us at any point in the data collection process to discuss their pla= ns with respect to the preparation of public-use datasets. The guide focuses o= n ICPSR and its practices, preferences, and requirements, but we believe that the social science community would benefit if these recommendations were adopted for data deposited with other archives, including the U.S. National Archive= s.

The guide should not be read as a set of rules to pres= cribe procedures, but rather as a source of information and suggestions. Obviousl= y, every project has its particular needs and idiosyncrasies, and no single document can cover all contingencies. Also, we are mindful that the computi= ng environment changes rapidly and that new techniques for managing, documenti= ng, and analyzing data are continually being developed. Accordingly, this docum= ent appears in electronic form on ICPSR's Web site (http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/), where it will be updated between printings. = User comments and suggestions are welcome.

The Guide add= resses the following topics:

Introduction

v&nb= sp; Costs and benefits of archiving

Importance of a Data Manag= ement Plan

v&nb= sp; Documentation as part of the project plan

v&nb= sp; Using integrated software

v&nb= sp; Data entry and documentation as part of pre-tests and pilot studies

Characteristics of "Good" Datasets

v&nb= sp; Dataset integrity

v&nb= sp; Accessibility

v&nb= sp; Codebooks

Ø Data Documentation Initiative (DDI)

Ø Codebook Elements

Technical Aspects of Datas= ets

v&nb= sp; File structures

v&nb= sp; Variable names

v&nb= sp; Variable labels

v&nb= sp; Codes and coding

v&nb= sp; Missing data

v&nb= sp; Selecting missing data codes

v&nb= sp; A note on "not applicable" and skip patterns

Data Management During Analysis

v&nb= sp; Master datasets and work files

v&nb= sp; Version numbers

v&nb= sp; Raw data vs. statistical system files

v&nb= sp; Backups

Confidentiality in Archive= d Data

v&nb= sp; The principles

v&nb= sp; The practice of protecting confidentiality <= /p>

v&nb= sp; How to handle indirect identifiers

Preparing Data for Archivi= ng: What ICPSR Requires

v&nb= sp; Format of data files

v&nb= sp; Documentation

v&nb= sp; Mode of transmission

v&nb= sp; ICPSR data deposit form

v&nb= sp; Collection evaluation and review

Related Publications and References

From The Inter-university Consortium for Politic= al and Social Research (ICPSR).