Email Templates: Promoting ICPSR at your Institution

Dear [Name],

I’d like to introduce myself, my name is [Name] and I am [Title]. I’m the ICPSR Representative for [Institution Name], which means I will be your local point of contact for data-related questions, training resources, scholarship updates and more.

ICPSR is the world’s oldest and largest social science data archive. [Institution Name] is a member, which means we [students, staff, faculty, interns, researchers] have access to data and training. I’ve included some features below and would be happy to help direct you to resources. 

Data highlights:

We now have access to over 20,000 studies on topics including health, income and spending, crime, voting, education, government data and more. Visit icpsr.umich.edu to create an account and get started. 

Resources for Instructors:

ICPSR offers a robust Teaching With Data resource. This includes lesson plans (such as a voter behavior analysis module), GIS training, support for integrating data into courses, and free office hours with their Director of Instructional Resources where instructors can tailor their instructional materials using recommended data. They also offer regularly updated content such as the Current Events feature which provides insights into the data behind today’s headlines. 

Resources for researchers:

Researchers can share their data through ICPSR for free, with benefits of doing so include increased discoverability and evidence of impact. All studies shared through ICPSR include usage tracking, including number of downloads and a list of institutions where your data is downloaded. ICPSR also provides tracking of publications using your data through the ICPSR Bibliography of Data-Related Literature. This tracking is provided automatically for all data housed at ICPSR. ICPSR also offers a wealth of secondary data and is a valuable resource for literature review. 

ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods:

Our community qualifies for steep discounts at the ICPSR Summer Program, a training program with online and in–person courses taking place each summer. Courses include Machine Learning; Race, Ethnicity, and Quantitative Methodology; Multilevel Models and more. They also host workshops for professionals such as Experimental Design in the Social Sciences and Providing Data Services. The Summer Program offers over $150,000 each year in scholarships, I look forward to sharing these with you as they become available. 

Resources for undergraduate students:

ICPSR offers resources to help students become data literate quickly. They provide DIY resources such as Choosing Data to Fit Your Needs which is easily integrated into a syllabus. Students with data-related projects may find ICPSR Data by Discipline useful. ICPSR also has resources like the #NoStupidQuestions Video Series and their Data Communication Scholarship where students can win up to $1000 (we’re aiming to win this year).

Resources for graduate students:

In addition to the resources for undergrads, ICPSR offers tailored resources for graduate students. Importantly, ICPSR helps reduce time-to-degree. They also offer free data orientations to get graduate students going quickly, here’s how to request a session.

Please contact me, I’d be happy to share more about what ICPSR can offer. You can also reach their Help Desk anytime at [email protected].

Dear [Name],

For more than 60 years, the ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods has trained students, faculty, and researchers in the latest quantitative methods and statistical techniques.

Curriculum:

Every year the Summer Program offers 100+ courses, from introductory statistics and regression analysis to advanced training in cutting-edge research methods. Whether it’s network analysis or machine learning or the R computing environment, there is a course that will match your interest and skill level.

Dynamic instruction:

Courses feature in-depth, applied instruction that is responsive to your specific research needs and goals. You’ll receive personalized guidance from our expert faculty, who welcome you to bring and use your own data in their courses.

Classes that suit your busy schedule:

The ICPSR Summer Program offers in-person and live online classes, featuring extended access to lecture recordings and course materials through the end of the year for continued learning.

Unparalleled networking:

The collaborative learning environment makes it easy to foster lifelong connections with your instructors and fellow participants. You may find your next research project collaborator right here (and many have)!

Financial support:

ICPSR offers more than $100,000 in student scholarships every year. Their goal is to remove financial barriers to participation and increase access to statistical methods training for students of all different backgrounds. Group discounts for academic departments are also available.

Teaching opportunities:

The ICPSR Summer Program offers teaching assistant positions for graduate students, providing invaluable pedagogical experience to take into future teaching positions at colleges and universities.

To learn more visit www.icpsr.umich.edu/sumprog or contact [email protected].

Dear [Name],

Join us on [date] to learn how ICPSR, the world’s largest social science data archive, can support your research, teaching, dissertations, and class projects.

What you’ll learn:

• Highlights of data at ICPSR
• Publications that use data found at ICPSR
• How to share data through ICPSR (and how they provide evidence of impact regarding how your data is used)
• Resources for teaching with ICPSR data
• Resources for students learning how to use data
• Data training through the ICPSR Summer Program
• Scholarship opportunities

Details: [Date, time, location]

Register: [link]

Tip: Include a customized flyer from ICPSR’s promotional materials

Dear [Name],

Did you know that ICPSR provides services and support to faculty, staff, and students working in health and biomedical research?

Through ICPSR, you are able to meet funder data sharing requirements and increase the impact of your research by sharing health and biomedical data. For those conducting secondary research, you have access to an extensive archive of health, biomedical, and social science data for secondary analysis. Additionally, grant support is available including a review of your data management plan and a letter of support (learn more at Data Management Plans & Grant Support). Finally, ICPSR is able to give tailored presentations for groups based on their roles and research interest (submit a webinar request).

If you would like to learn more about any of these services, please reach out to [email protected]. Reach out today to discover how ICPSR can help advance health and biomedical research, promote data sharing and transparency, and support your students and faculty members in their research journeys

Subject: Enhancing research impact with ICPSR data

Dear Faculty,

As we look toward the upcoming academic year, I want to encourage you to take full advantage of our institution’s membership in ICPSR. For those looking to expand their publication record, ICPSR provides a wealth of behavioral and social science research data that enables high-quality secondary analyses.

Their data collection covers critical and diverse topics, including:

• Public policy and politics: voting, government, and social media
• Health and wellness: aging, mental health, substance abuse, and healthcare
• Society: immigration, family structures, and child care
• Justice: crime, law enforcement, racism
• Economics: consumer spending, inflation
• Education: STEM, specialized databases like the Measures of Effective Teaching
• Specialized databases on the arts, social media, neighborhoods and more

Why publish with ICPSR data?

Beyond the sheer volume of data, these resources are freely available to you as members of an ICPSR institution. Utilizing these professionally curated datasets can significantly enhance the “FAIRness” (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability) of your research.

Support for teaching and grants

In addition to research, ICPSR offers robust support for other facets of your academic life:

• Grant support: They provide resources for developing Data Management Plans, which are increasingly essential for major grant applications.
• Instructional resources: For those looking to bring data into the classroom, ICPSR offers “Data-Savvy Teaching” resources, including ready-to-use assignments and exercises.
• Professional development: Their world-renowned Summer Program in Quantitative Methods remains a leading resource for building advanced data skills (note that we receive a substantial tuition discount as well as access to scholarships)

I encourage you to explore their data portal and reach out to our Official Representative, who serves as our primary liaison with the Consortium, for any assistance in accessing restricted-use data or navigating the archives.

Let’s continue to push the boundaries of social science research by leveraging these world-class data assets.