Depositor Checklist

Depositors should review this list prior to depositing. If you have questions or concerns, please email icpsr-nacda@umich.edu and we will work with you to resolve any issues. Complete and accessible files and information are more likely to be easily replicated and reused.

Download NACDA Depositor Checklist (Word)

Ease of Understanding:

File and folder structure named with unique, descriptive titles; if providing multiple datasets, include dataset to documentation legend or name correspondingly
Any publication or promotion deadlines related to the plan for the release of the data and materials
Intended access type; public or restricted access
If restricted access is needed, plan to discuss dissemination with archive and collaborate on terms of use agreement
Do you already distribute data with us? If so, is this deposit an update to the data you supplied in the past? Please provide ICPSR study number and dataset relation.

Complete Documentation:

Original questionnaire
Codebook; with unweighted frequencies is best for data comparison
Identify and describe computed and derived variables
Interviewer instructions
User Guide
Final Report
Citations of related publications the data were used in
Question text, DDI, or another text-source for the question
Variable groupings (Especially for large datasets, it is useful to categorize variables into conceptual groupings)

Complete Study-Level Metadata:

Clear and consistent title across files and metadata. NOTE: to conform to metadata standards, the title will appear on the ICPSR (NACDA) site as Title, Location, Years, such as “Aging in Women [United States], 2005-2006”.
Description of the project; goals, main topics, etc.
PI full names and organizational affiliations (we reference this site to match names: Virtual International Authority File)
Data collection dates
Intended unit of analysis (a description of who or what is being studied)
Sample description
Universe description
Does the project/study have a website? If so, please provide it.
Funding source and grant number

Complete Dataset(s):

Ensure variable names DO NOT contain characters that are not acceptable across stats packages, such as periods
Ensure and names, addresses, phone numbers, and any other direct identifiers are removed
Include complete, descriptive, and unique variable labels
Include complete value labels (for SAS, a formats catalog is required)
Missing designated or at least labeled clearly; if assigned in SAS or Stata, provide numeric codes that match the letter missing values for ease of conversion across stats packages
Weighting information; weight variable names and syntax, if needed for replication
Longitudinal weights; weight variable names and syntax, if needed for replication
Identify merging variable(s)
Provide necessary syntax for merging (based on origin stats package)

Ensure Your Files are Accessible

Review the Depositor Guidelines for Sharing Accessible Study Materials using ICPSR and apply accordingly

Please refer to our deposit pages for information about deposit options, tips, and expectations: