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OR Handbook

Introduction

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is the world's largest archive of computer-readable social science data. Established in 1962, ICPSR is an active partner in social science research and instruction throughout the world. ICPSR's unique combination of data resources, data delivery mechanisms, user support, and training in quantitative methods makes it a vital resource for fostering inquiry and furthering the social sciences.

ICPSR acquires, archives, and disseminates social science data for research and instruction, and offers training in quantitative methods to facilitate effective data use. To ensure that data resources are available to future generations of scholars, ICPSR preserves data, migrating them to new storage media as changes in technology warrant. In addition, ICPSR provides user support to assist researchers in identifying relevant data for analysis and in conducting their research projects.

In all ICPSR activities, each member institution is represented by a locally designated person known as the Official Representative (OR). The OR serves as the primary contact person for communication between the member institution and ICPSR staff. At some member institutions, the OR has appointed another individual, known as the Designated Representative (DR), to assist local users and facilitate communication with ICPSR staff, and has formally notified ICPSR of this arrangement.

The purpose of this handbook is (1) to describe the role and responsibilities of the Official Representative, (2) to explain the support available to ORs from ICPSR, and (3) to provide a brief summary of ICPSR Web sites, data holdings, and data services. The ICPSR Web site contains an abundance of information about ICPSR, topical archives at ICPSR, educational programs, research projects, initiatives, etc., which are not covered in this handbook.

Role and Responsibilities of the Official Representative

Official Representatives and Designated Representatives have the following responsibilities with respect to ICPSR membership:

a. Assist data users at their institutions in locating, downloading, and working with ICPSR data. Depending on the OR's skills and abilities in these areas, he/she might work with users in all these areas or he/she might network with colleagues in other departments such at IT, data centers, or statistical consulting to provide these services.

b. Promote and publicize ICPSR resources and services to the entire local academic community. In the early years of ICPSR, our primary users were political scientists, historians, and sociologists. Our user base has since expanded to include all the social sciences and even some of the physical sciences. Thus, our holdings are of interest to virtually all academic institutions, centers, and departments. The ICPSR Media Kit provides a wealth of materials that institutions can use to promote ICPSR resources and conduct workshops locally.

c. Secure funding for ICPSR membership. Typically, the OR is the recipient of the annual membership invoice, although some members identify another individual for billing purposes. Often the invoice is paid by a library or department but in some cases the cost of membership is split among departments utilizing ICPSR resources.

d. Act as intermediary between ICPSR and the member institution for all official notices and communications. Periodically, ICPSR communicates with ORs about policy issues, membership rates, changes to the ICPSR Web Site, Summer Program content and schedule information, and other administrative matters. These communications usually are sent through our OR Announce notification feature, but also can be through the mail. It is the responsibility of the OR to take whatever action might be necessary in response to these announcements.

e. Attend and participate in the biennial meetings of Official Representatives. A committee of the ICPSR Council, with input from ORs, plans these meetings. The agenda typically incorporates substantive and technical issues relevant to the work of ORs in representing ICPSR on their campuses. Equally important, the meetings provide an opportunity for ORs and DRs to interact and share their experiences with others in similar work environments.

f. Participate in the governance of ICPSR by electing Council representatives every two years. The ICPSR is governed by a council of twelve scholars and data professionals who meet three times a year. They guide and oversee the activities of ICPSR. Six new council members are elected by the ORs every two years to serve four-year terms. The nominating committee of Council, with input from ICPSR staff, ORs, and council members, nominates a slate of six candidates. The report from the nominating committee, including the names and biographical sketches of the nominees, is included in the OR meeting materials that are distributed to ORs at the biennial meeting. ORs vote electronically within a two-month period that commences shortly after the end of the OR meeting.

ICPSR Support for Official Representatives

ICPSR staff is always available to assist ORs in their support of ICPSR data users and in their promotion of ICPSR on campus. All questions are important to us. You can contact Membership and Marketing if you have questions about membership benefits, utilization information, promotional materials, or invoice payments. Contact User Support if you have questions about ICPSR Direct, restricted data, data acquisitions, data/documentation problems, or your role and responsibilities as OR. Contact the various topical archives directly if you have questions about any study in their holdings. Web Support can assist with any technical problems you might be experiencing with our Web sites. The ICPSR Contact Information section of this handbook provides contact information for ICPSR units and archives, although the User Support staff at 734-647-2200 or netmail@icpsr.umich.edu is always happy to redirect your inquiry as needed.

ICPSR Web Site

The most complete and up-to-date source of information about ICPSR is the ICPSR Web site. In addition to providing access to ICPSR's vast data archive, the site provides extensive organizational information as well as links to other sites of interest.

Data collections at ICPSR number over 6,6000 and cover a broad range of disciplines and subjects, including political science, economics, demography, sociology, gerontology, education, early education, substance abuse and mental health, criminology and criminal justice, health and medical care, psychology, and history. ICPSR data holdings can be searched using several different criteria, including title, study number, investigator, and subject terms. There is also an advanced search feature that allows for searching on a combination of fields. Downloading files from the Web site is easy and efficient with online help available to guide the user. All documentation files are freely available from the ICPSR Web site, as are most data files from collections in ICPSR special topic archives. Selected datasets are available in an online data analysis system. And, in those instances where data are only available under restricted-use policies, information on access is provided.

The ICPSR holdings also include metadata records describing externally-held social science data resources. The category "external resources" compliments the range of in-house resources ICPSR currently makes available and includes individual datasets, data analysis tools, instructional materials, and Web sites. These descriptions of external resources are integrated into ICPSR finding aids and provide users with more comprehensive search results.

The consortium's member-funded data collections constitute ICPSR's General Archive holdings. ICPSR also hosts several externally-funded archives, each of which is organized around a specific topic. These topical archives identify, accession, process, and disseminate data, focusing on collections in their respective areas. Data in the topical archives are available at no cost through both the ICPSR and topical archive Web sites.

ICPSR Official Representative Site

The OR Web site provides information of specific interest to ORs. After authenticating, ORs can perform tasks such as reviewing their ICPSR Direct information, accessing the ICPSR Media Kit, generating custom reports, downloading data, and changing their password.

Tour the Specialty Archives and Projects

ICPSR Data Services

ICPSR MyData Registration

Each ICPSR data user must register by creating an ICPSR MyData account. The account consists of the user's e-mail address and a password. MyData users at ICPSR institutions can optionally provide their name and e-mail information to their OR. All MyData account holders can download documentation files and data files housed within the topical archives. A second level of authentication is necessary in order for MyData users to download members-only data. If the user is at an ICPSR Direct school and has validated his/her account from a campus computer within the previous six months, he/she can download data from anywhere. If the user has not validated his/her account or is not at an ICPSR Direct institution, he/she needs to contact the Official Representative for access to the data.

ICPSR Direct

ICPSR Direct, first offered to members in 2001, allows local users on campus to download data directly from the ICPSR Web site. Although users can still request their Official Representative to download data, ICPSR Direct is the means by which users at most member institutions access data. Initially access to ICPSR data through ICPSR Direct was restricted to campus IP addresses. Currently, though, users validate their MyData account semiannually from a campus computer and then download data from anywhere. Even though users can access data directly, many continue to seek assistance from ORs in locating, accessing, and working with ICPSR data.

In order to implement ICPSR Direct locally, the OR must complete the ICPSR Direct Information Form, indicating the IP address range on his/her campus. The ICPSR Direct Information Form can be accessed on the OR Web site.

Once ICPSR Direct has been implemented, the local representative receives a daily manifest that summarizes the authorized ordering activity for their institution over the previous 24 hours. ORs can change their institutional settings, including opting out of receiving the daily manifest at Institutional Settings. Information about data utilization at a less detailed level is available through the utilization reporting tools discussed later in this handbook.

Restricted Data

Over the years, ICPSR has evaluated all collections acquired and released for issues of confidentiality in order to protect the confidentiality of respondents and study participants. In recent years, a number of collections have been acquired in which the implementation of the traditional means used to protect confidentiality, such as blanking or recoding identifying variables, so significantly limits the substantive content of the collection as to limit its value for research. Restricted data collections, or parts thereof, are not available through either the ICPSR Web site or the topical archive site because of the significant potential for harm to subjects that would accrue if these data were released and confidentiality violated.

Access to the restricted data collections is instead arranged by each individual researcher directly with ICPSR. Specifically, the researcher must complete and submit an application, agreement form, data protection plan, résumés from all individuals who will be accessing the restricted data, approval from their institution's IRB, and the necessary signatures from university administrators who have the authority to sign contracts on behalf of the university. Information on accessing these restricted data is found within the study description on our Web site. Documentation for these collections can normally be downloaded directly from the Web site.

Bibliographic Citations

For each ICPSR study, the study description contains a bibliographic data citation to be used in manuscripts based on ICPSR data. It is important to use these citations so that others can replicate analysis results.

Additionally, ICPSR appreciates receiving citations of publications utilizing ICPSR data. These citations become part of ICPSR's Bibliography of Data-Related Literature. This information also allows ICPSR to provide funding agencies with essential information about the use of archival resources and facilitates the exchange of information about the research activities of ICPSR members. Users can submit these citations online.

Bibliography of Data-Related Literature

The Bibliography of Data-Related Literature is a database of citations to published and unpublished articles, books, dissertations, and conference presentations that have utilized ICPSR data. The Bibliography, with over 40,000 citations to date, is also available through the "Related Literature" link on each study description. The Bibliography is often referred to as Publications Based on Our Data and that term can be found under the Data heading on our web site. Beginning in September 2005, the Bibliography now provides direct links to full-text and print resources at member institutions via OpenURL and link resolver technology. To take advantage of this service, you must be signed up for ICPSR Direct, have a link resolver at your institution, and complete the online form. Please contact us via email if you have any questions about this service.

Dissemination Formats

All ICPSR study files contain ASCII text data and documentation files. Many also contain setup files and portable ready-to-go files for three major statistical packages: SAS, SPSS, and Stata. A small number of data collections are still available in older formats like OSIRIS, EBCDIC, column binary, etc. but we continue to focus on converting those collections to usable formats compatible with current statistical software.

Selected data collections at ICPSR are accessible through the Web-based Data Analysis System (DAS). Users can explore and analyze the data on the Web without the need to download files or use another statistical software package. DAS provides access to a wide range of statistical capabilities (from contingency tables to multiple regression). The system also generates custom subset datasets that may be downloaded for use with traditional software packages.

Publication-Related Archive

In March 1995, ICPSR initiated the Publication-Related Archive (PRA) as an electronic service. Datasets in PRA include all data and information needed to allow any researcher to replicate a given published article, paper, book, or dissertation. Data in the PRA are distributed in the same condition and format as sent by the data contributor, and have not been examined in any way by the ICPSR staff.

Notification Services

a. Recent Releases. ICPSR archival staff releases new collections and updates to the holdings on a regular basis, typically weekly, and sends an announcement of these releases to all local representatives. A link to these releases is found on the ICPSR Web site. Local representatives can forward this information to interested users on their campus or post it on their own Intranets. Representatives can unsubscribe and resubscribe to the service at their discretion. Any other users are free to self-enroll. More information is available on ourWeb site.

b. Updates Notification. Users who enroll in this notification service will automatically receive e-mail notices when a study that they previously downloaded is substantively updated.

c. Series Notifications. Users who enroll in the series notification service will receive an e-mail when a new study is released in that series.

In order to sign up for these services, users should go to the ICPSR Web site, log in to their MyData account, and click on Notification Services.

On-Demand Creation of Setup Files

In 2006 ICPSR announced a new service to create statistical package setup files on demand. Although many setup files have been created routinely over the years as ICPSR processed data, a substantial number of studies do not contain these "value-added" files. This project to create setup files involves manual entry of variable and question text information into an excel spreadsheet. A program is then run to generate setup files from the spreadsheet content and a series of basic quality control checks are done before the files are released. The complexity of the study, number of variables, and condition of the documentation are all considered in determining whether a request for setup files can be added to the queue.

Utilization Reports

In 2006 ICPSR released tools on the OR site that provide summary statistics reports on use of ICPSR resources at individual institutions. The tools provide summary download statistics for the period of time specified, comparison statistics to other institutions in similar membership categories for the last fiscal year, a list of the most frequently downloaded studies at an institution, and user statistics that enable ORs to identify the departments from which the downloads originated and to profile users in terms of their status at the school, e.g., graduate student, faculty, etc. More recent updates include the addition of online analysis usage statistics. These tools can be accessed from the OR site.

Depositing Data

ICPSR encourages researchers to deposit copies of their own data in the ICPSR archive. In 2006 ICPSR announced the availability of the online version of ICPSR's Deposit Form. The ICPSR Deposit Form is submitted to ICPSR along with the research data and other types of research resources intended for archiving and dissemination. The online form allows depositors to enter information about a submission using their Web browser and to upload files to ICPSR through a secure Internet connection. Users may save information they have entered in the form at any stage, and return to complete the form later at their convenience. The form can be accessed by multiple users, allowing for collaboration and verification of deposit form information with colleagues and staff.

The Guide to Social Science Data Preparation and Archiving, Third Edition, is available to assist data producers in preparing their collections for deposit. The Guide offers guidelines and suggestions that are useful for anyone creating machine-readable data.

Student Opportunities

Undergraduate Research Paper Competition

In 2006 ICPSR initiated a new annual event, the ICSPR Undergraduate Research Paper Competition. The purpose of the competition is to highlight exemplary undergraduate research papers based on quantitative data. The objective is to encourage undergraduates to explore the social sciences by means of critical analaysis of a topic supported by quantitative analysis of a dataset held within the ICPSR archive and presented in written form. Papers are judged by a team of reviewers. Cash awards are presented to the first, second, and third place winners. Additionally, all three winning papers are published on the ICPSR Web site and the first place paper is also published in the ICPSR Bulletin.

Summer Undergraduate Internship Program

The Summer Undergraduate Internship Program was started in 2005 and runs for 10 weeks. The purpose of the internship is to provide undergraduates with experience in working with social science data and statistical packages. The interns attend courses in the ICSPR Summer Program and are introduced to all aspects and departments of ICPSR. Students receive a stipend, room and board in university housing, and coverage of the cost of fees, texts, and materials for coursework in the ICPSR Summer Program.

The Official Representative and the Summer Program

The ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research offers a comprehensive, integrated program of studies in research design, statistics, data analysis, and social methodology. Basic methodological and technical training is offered, along with opportunities for advanced work in specialized areas. The Summer Program combines lectures and discussion with the practical application of quantitative methods in a state-of-the-art computer lab. Students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge by conducting hands-on data analysis.

The OR plays a critical role in the Summer Program admission process. At the end of February each year, a package of materials explaining the Summer Program is sent to each Official Representative. The package includes an announcement of the Program and course descriptions for the curriculum as well as fliers and posters. After publicizing the Program on the home campus, the OR ordinarily screens applications locally and nominates a list of potential participants by filling out and returning the Member Institution Participation (MIP) form to the ICPSR Summer Program by the end of the fourth week in April. The MIP form is printed on pink paper and mailed to the ORs separately from the package of materials explaining the Summer Program. In the case of federated members, a governing council may be involved in the screening of applications.

Decisions on admission and financial support are made by the Summer Program staff on the basis of information made available by the Official Representative. The present level of ICPSR financial support is usually sufficient to cover the dollar equivalent of round-trip air transportation from the member institution to Ann Arbor for at least one participant. Many ORs have been successful in securing additional financial support from their institutions or from other independent sources. ICPSR does not normally permit double funding because of the constraints on financial resources for stipends. This means that if an individual is admitted to a specialized workshop financed through a granting agency that provides a stipend to participants, those individuals are not eligible for any of ICPSR monetary allocation to Summer Program participants.

ORs are urged to submit their list of potential participants on the MIP form by the stated deadlines, usually no later than early May, with updates and corrections accepted through early June. This allows ICPSR staff time to process all the necessary paperwork through the University of Michigan in time for the participant's arrival on campus.

Communicating With ICPSR

ORs are encouraged to submit to ICPSR suggestions on new data to be acquired, comments on the quality of services received, and information about problems encountered with data and documentation. ICPSR also welcomes proposals for new or additional services that might be provided.

On occasion, ICPSR staff will request specific information from ORs through mail, e-mail, and web surveys and questionnaires. OR completion of these forms is very important since ICPSR uses the information for internal planning purposes including improved services to ICPSR members.

Finally, it is also very important that ICPSR be notified in writing of any changes in e-mail addresses, phone numbers, or mailing addresses for current ORs. In order to better serve users at member campuses, ICPSR must also be promptly informed in writing of any changes in OR staff. All such notices should be accompanied by a complete mailing address (including building name, room number, and street address) for future mailings, and other contact information, such as voice and fax phone numbers, and e-mail address. This information should be forwarded to the ICPSR Membership Coordinator.

ICPSR Contact Information

The most complete resource for up-to-date information is the ICPSR Web site. However, when additional information or contact with ICPSR is needed, please refer to the following telephone numbers and electronic and mailing addresses to get assistance.

Telephone Numbers

Administrative Offices   (734) 615-8400

Collection Development   (734) 615-7667

Computing and Network Services   (734) 615-9415

Fax, First Floor   (734) 647-8200

Fax, Second Floor   (734) 647-8700

Membership and Marketing   (734) 615-5494

Membership Coordinator   (734) 615-8400

Summer Program   (734) 763-7400

User Support   (734) 647-2200

Web Sites

ICPSR Home Page

Official Representative Site

Summer Program

Topical Archives and Research Projects

E-Mail Addresses

Bibliography of Data-Related Literature   bibliography@icpsr.umich.edu

Data Acquisitions   deposit@icpsr.umich.edu

Membership   membership@icpsr.umich.edu

Recruiting   careers@icpsr.umich.edu

User Support   netmail@icpsr.umich.edu

Web Support   web-support@icpsr.umich.edu

Mailing Addresses

Street Address

ICPSR
426 Thompson Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

U.S. Postal Service Address

ICPSR
P.O. Box 1248
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248

Courier Service Address

ICPSR
330 Packard Street, Room #
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Appendix: Frequently Asked Questions

These FAQs are among those questions most frequently asked and answered on the ICPSR User Support phone line.

I am taking a statistics class and need to have a dataset to use. I have selected a dataset, but there is no setup file for the statistical package I am using. What should I do?

Not all datasets come with setup files. If the option is not present in Step 1 of the Download, a setup file is not currently available through ICPSR.

Consider using data that is formatted as SPSS portable, SAS transport, or Stata system files. To locate studies with your preferred statistical format, enter your preferred format term into the search form on the ICPSR home page. The returned list of studies will have that format available for download. The formatted data files include the necessary variable information to complete the analysis.

If you have further questions about how to proceed, check with your school's IT department or local computer lab for assistance. If you are at a member institution, consult with your local ICPSR Official Representative.

I have no experience creating setup files for statistical packages. But the dataset that I need to use does not have a setup file available for download. How do I load the data into the program?

You can contact ICPSR User Support at netmail@icpsr.umich.edu to inquire about the possibility of ICPSR creating setup files for the study. If it is determined that ICPSR cannot create them or cannot create them within your time frame, then you are advised to seek assistance from someone on your campus with experience in the statistical package that you have chosen to use. The study codebook contains variable information that is needed to create a setup file. If you are at a member institution, consult with your local ICPSR Official Representative as to who locally can help you in creating such files. For that person's contact information, check our "Need Help?" page from a campus computer, or search for your school's information.

The person who is listed as a contact on my campus is not available to help me. What can I do?

Our Need Help? page answers many general questions that data users may have. There are tutorials on various statistical packages and the most frequently asked questions about data usage. Also, ICPSR User Support can help with issues related to the data.

I am trying to use a setup file, but I keep getting a "file not found" error. I have entered the drive specification, folder hierarchy, and filename for the data file correctly. What is wrong?

Sometimes when an application generates a "file not found" error, it is caused by an incomplete filename being used in the setup statements - the specification for the filename may be missing the filename extension. This is often due to Windows not displaying filename extensions in either Windows Explorer or My Computer and subsequent dialog boxes, and users not being aware that they exist or need to be used.

Adding the correct extension to the file specification in the setup statements should correct the problem.

To ensure that you are presented with complete filenames, the default Windows filename display option for folders should be changed.

Go to Start > My Computer > Tools (the menu at the top) > Folder Options > View (the second tab)

Under the "Advanced setting:" look for "Hide extensions for known file types". The selection box for this option should be cleared. Users should then be able to see the filename extension when using either Windows Explorer or My Computer and add the extension to the file specification in the setup statements.

I can't see or click on the data file that I am trying to download!

Assuming you are at a member institution that subscribes to ICPSR Direct, the data are probably restricted or the file has some limitations on its use. Go to the Description & Citation page of the study and scroll down to the Access and Availability section and review the Restrictions field. It will tell you under what conditions the data can be accessed.

How can I get the non-restricted version of a restricted dataset?

In many cases there is no public version of the data. If our Web site does not display a public version, then only a restricted version has been authorized for release by the Principal Investigator.

I want to have my own personal membership. I have a MyData account. What do I need to do?

ICPSR does not offer personal memberships. Our members are colleges, universities, and research institutions throughout the world who make ICPSR data available to their students, faculty, and staff.

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