What are ICPSR's deposit options? How much does it cost to deposit? Why would I want ICPSR to curate my data?
ICPSR offers Three Main Deposit Options for Data Producers
Curated (no cost to depositor)
Anyone can deposit data into ICPSR’s Consortium Archive at no cost. ICPSR covers curation costs with membership fees. Curated data are:
- Free for users at member institutions
- Available for a fee to users at non-members institutions
Curated (depositor or sponsor pays)
Depositors can pay for curation services using grant funding or other resources. Sponsored archiving projects may also cover curation costs. Sponsored projects may have additional selection criteria.
Self-Published (no cost to depositor)
Anyone can self-deposit and publish uncurated data. These data are immediately available to users at no cost in the format in which they were submitted. This option is especially popular for:
- Replication data related to a publication
- Data that must meet open-access requirements
ICPSR staff may subsequently select self-published data for curation.
Persistent Identifiers and Citations
Each study receives a persistent identifier (DOI) and data citation for proper attribution after it’s published.
Open Access for Curated Data
If you are looking for your curated data to be part of the Consortium Archive and be available to all users at no cost, you may pay for five years of open access (e.g., through a grant). If you are interested in this option, review the open-access fees on ICPSR’s Data Archiving Options and Costs page.
Learn More
For more information about choosing curation or to self-publish, please see the Deposit Your Data page.

Depositing Data with ICPSR: Who, What, Why, and How Much Is It? (pdf)