FAQs

1. Can I do Boolean searching on the Web site?
2. Can I search for STF 3A and other letter-number combinations?
3. Can I use an asterisk in the search to match partial words?
4. Can I use R without having to learn the details of the R language?
5. How can I search a particular field in the study descriptions?
6. How can I use your data with GIS software, such as ArcView or MapInfo?
7. How does your archive prepare a data collection for public release?
8. How do I decompress the files I download from your site?
9. How do I find data referenced in a journal as being available at your archive?
10. How do I interpret a record from an ASCII data file?
11. How do I read data into R?
12. How do I use an SPSS setup file to import ASCII data?
13. How do I use a SAS setup file to import ASCII data?
14. How do I use a Stata setup file to import ASCII data?
15. How do I use Excel to import tab-delimited ASCII data?
16. I'm getting a "file not found" error when trying to use a setup file. What is wrong?
17. I'm using SPSS on a Mac. I can't read ASCII data files using the SPSS setup file I downloaded. What do I do?
18. I've changed my email address. How do I change my login? What if I change institutions?
19. I've forgotten my password. How do I get a new one?
20. I am taking a stats class and need a dataset. I have selected a dataset, but there is no setup file for the stat package I am using. What should I do?
21. I downloaded data from your site, but my statistics application issues an error message that the file cannot be found.
22. I have no experience creating setup files for statistical packages. How do I load the data into the program?
23. McAffee Antivirus says that a data file on your site has a virus in it. How do I get a virus-free file?
24. The Search Results page indicates that my search is "sorted by relevance." What does that mean?
25. What's the date/number listed to the right of each search result?
26. What are ICPSR's terms of use?
27. What are setup files?
28. What is a codebook?
29. What is a data file?
30. What is a SAS CPORT file? How do I use it?
31. What is MyData?
32. What is R?
33. What kind of data formats does the archive distribute? Do you have SPSS Portable files? SAS transport? Stata?
34. When I attempt to uncompress the files I downloaded from your site, WinZip complains that the file name is insensible. How can I uncompress the file?
35. Why can't I print my PDF codebook?