Depositor FAQs

  1. Why is sharing data useful to me? Why should I share data that I have worked very hard to collect and analyze?

    Researchers who share data benefit in the following ways:

    • Citations of datasets available from NACDA are harvested by key social science indexes.
    • Data in the public domain generate new research which cites the original research.
    • Data used for secondary analysis is published more widely than data not shared, extending the research productivity of the original investigator.
    • NACDA frees investigators from using their resources to share data.
    • NACDA preserves the data, which original researchers can obtain if their copies are lost or destroyed.
    • Archiving data helps researchers meet requirements of NIH and NSF data management plans.
    • Depositors can access downloads statistics of their study files. The research community's interest in a dataset can assist with the success of future grant funding proposals.
    • The original investigator can more easily collaborate with colleagues on future research projects by using data from NACDA that is available in a variety of formats.
  2. What is the cost associated with depositing/storing/disseminating data through NACDA?

    In general, since NACDA is funded by NIA to support NIA funded studies, we do not charge to curate data and materials. We have curated and self-published options for sharing your data. Please send us your data management plan draft and abstract so we can review them and give you a better idea of whether we recommend self-published or curated (icpsr-nacda@umich.edu). The self-published (NACDA-OAR) option is available at no cost, although your research team will need to account for internal preparation of the data and materials prior to sharing. The curated cost depends on the details of your materials and whether they fit within the scope of our archive priorities.

    In some instances, a data provider may need to have materials curated and we cannot commit to doing this in the time they need it, and instead of self-publishing, they can seek out ICPSR's services - in these cases, please refer to ICPSR’s Share NIH Data page and request a cost estimate.

  3. How do I create a data management plan (DMS plan)?

    If you need help creating your DMS plan, please visit the NIH 2023 Data Management & Sharing Policy FAQs and NIH Sample DMS Plans page. ICPSR also has a template available which you can download from the ICPSR's Share NIH Data page.

  4. Would NACDA provide a letter of support for my research project?

    Please contact us using icpsr-nacda@umich.edu and send us your abstract and data management plan.

  5. How long does NACDA archive research materials?

    NACDA (and ICPSR) permanently archives deposited files, supporting the data through changing technologies, new media, and data formats.

  6. Does NACDA accept audio files and image data?

    We are happy to support demographic and quantitative survey and clinical/lab data from your project, however, we are not equipped to support audio or imaging data at this time (unless it is in a quantitative file format).

    Please visit the NIH Data Sharing Resources for Researchers site for some suggestions on federally recognized archives which support images and other data types which you might consider using instead.

  7. Can I use NACDA to reshare data I used?

    We strongly encourage secondary data researchers to plan to share code to allow others to replicate the steps to obtain and analyze secondary data. NACDA hosts a self-published repository, the NACDA-OAR - this is a great way to share replication data and code for merging, etc. Please refer to our instructions page for what to expect and best practices. The NACDA-OAR is for public-use data only. To learn more about our data redistribution policy, please visit ICPSR’s Redistribution Policy page.

  8. Can I share restricted data using NACDA?

    Restricted data (whether using NACDA or ICPSR), requires creating a restricted-use data deposit and dissemination agreement (RUDDA) and a restricted data user agreement (RDUA), therefore, you would need to factor in time for this process in your data management plan; these agreements are typically created in collaboration with university legal teams. For any data collection, in order to ensure discoverability, accessibility and reusability, we strongly encourage data providers to create a public-use version of the materials - please keep this in mind as you and your team prepare for your data collection. If you are interested in proceeding with restricted-use data we recommend you refer to ICPSR’s Share NIH Data page so you can get an estimate from ICPSR. Depending on the level of restriction required, the costs vary, for instance there are often costs associated with setting up a virtual data enclave (VDE) for the data.

  9. My research data and documentation are currently not in a format that can be released to secondary users. I do not have the resources or time to prepare it for broader distribution.

    The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has routinely sponsored grant mechanisms that can assist grantees in preparing data for sharing. Researchers are also encouraged to submit archiving and data enhancement grants under the parent R03 mechanism NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent R03). NACDA staff would be happy to discuss ways to apply for this grants in preparation to sharing your data with NACDA.

    If you deposit the data directly with NACDA we will clean and standardize data files, metadata, and documentation in consultation with your research staff. NACDA is built on the infrastructure of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), which disseminates digitally stable data files and searchable PDF codebooks and documentation.

  10. My data are very complicated. I am not sure users who were not affiliated with the original study will be able to use the data. Will NACDA staff provide user support?

    NACDA and ICPSR staff provide data user support to assist with accessing the materials and providing clarification wherever possible. Data users are encouraged to email icpsr-help@umich.edu with any questions. Depositors are not expected to provide ongoing user support, but rather to provide all the documentation necessary for secondary data users to make sense of the original data collection.

  11. The data from my study are on very sensitive topics such as Alzheimer's disease. I fear there may be a risk to participants if they should they be reidentified. How can I protect these respondents if I release data to the public?

    ICPSR evaluates all data files for disclosure risk using state-of-the-art techniques developed under a grant from the National Institutes of Health. From this evaluation, staff recommend a method of data release that protects respondents from re-identification while retaining the analytic utility of the data. Release options include public release and public online analysis; restricted release with an approved user agreement; enclave-only access; and online access after disclosure protections are applied. A full public release is only warranted when there is little risk of re-identification or the data have been sufficiently transformed to substantially reduce that risk. NACDA staff can provide information to depositors about how to release the data as a restricted-use dataset.

  12. In the informed consent signed by respondents, I promised that the data would only be used by an approved research team. How can I share the data when I made such promises to my respondents?

    Unless the informed consent names the members of the research team specifically, an amended Institutional Review Board application that includes a plan for data protection and dissemination can be filed with the lead institution to define the research team as those persons known to the original researchers. Restrictive informed consent may prevent the release of data as public-use, but do not preclude the possibility of a research team that is defined by a group of restricted- or limited-use agreement holders. With such agreements, the researchers using the data are known to ICPSR and to the original research team.

  13. Can I read and approve research proposals based on my data? I would like to determine the nature of research done with the data.

    ICPSR's policy is that responsible use of secondary data should be independent of the original researchers' priorities. When data are distributed under restricted-use agreements, a research proposal is required in order to screen users for a credible research project and to ascertain whether the data are needed for that project. The proposal, however, is screened only by the designated administrator at NACDA.

  14. Can my data be embargoed until I or my research team finish all our planned analyses?

    You can request a delay in disseminating your data after you’ve deposited them by emailing ICPSR-help@umich.edu. We will not release your data to secondary users until the date you specify, up to three years from the date of the deposit. Self-published projects may also choose to delay sharing and can specify this in the project space.