Deposit Data

Overview

DSDR welcomes and encourages deposits of digital data. DSDR also accepts deposits of study and variable-level metadata, scales, and user syntax. For an overview of DSDR data priorities, please refer to our acquisitions policy.

DSDR leverages ICPSR's deposit system, which provides encrypted upload of files and a form for describing the deposited data collection. To begin your deposit, click on the "Start Deposit" button below and select "DSDR" in the Archive drop-down menu.

Start Deposit

Why Deposit Data With DSDR and ICPSR?

Data archived through DSDR benefits from protocols and services developed and supported by ICPSR including:


Archiving data with DSDR also benefits researchers. Specifically, working with ICPSR, DSDR provides researchers with:

  • User Support. DSDR staff are available to answer questions about downloading and using data.
  • Levels of Access. DSDR offers restricted access data services and a secure data enclave.
  • Aggregation of Publications. DSDR creates a database of citations based on analyses of your data. Users of data are asked to send citations for their publications to icpsrbibliography@umich.edu.
  • NIH and NSF data management plans. Archiving data with DSDR helps meet NIH and NSF data sharing requirements.

What Should My Deposit Include?

Deposits should include all data and documentation necessary to independently read and interpret the data collection. Key instructions for preparing data and documentation are listed below.

For a discussion of best practices in preparing data for sharing, please refer to the ICPSR Guide to Social Science Data Preparation and Archiving, 5th Edition or the Guidelines for Effective Data Management Plans.

  1. Data File(s)

    DSDR encourages depositors to submit data as SAS, SPSS, or Stata files. ASCII files are also acceptable as long as they are accompanied with data definition statements. Datasets in other formats can be accepted as well. Each variable in the data collection should have a set of exhaustive, mutually-exclusive codes. Variable labels and value labels should clearly describe the information or question recorded in that variable. Missing data codes should be defined. When applicable, all identifying information should be removed from the records to ensure confidentiality.

  2. Documentation

    Documentation files are integral to interpreting a data collection and should thoroughly explain the data collection. Examples of documentation files include:

    • Codebooks;
    • Data collection instruments;
    • Summary statistics;
    • Project summaries; and
    • Bibliographies of publications pertaining to the data.

    Documentation can be submitted as Microsoft Word, ASCII, and DDI XML files, among other formats. Documentation that has the question text integrated with variable information is preferred.

  3. Description

    Every new or revised DSDR study includes a study description, which provides summary information about the data collection. Study descriptions are valuable resources to data users and include both general information, such as study title and summary, as well as more detailed information about the study design and methodology. Much of the information used by DSDR curators to create the study description comes from the ICPSR data deposit form. A list of deposit form fields is provided to help you prepare and compile study description information before depositing your data.

What Happens to My Data After the Deposit?

The DSDR team reviews the deposited materials to ensure the deposit is complete and will contact you with any questions we have. The materials then move to the ICPSR Curation team where staff enhance and add value to data by:

  • Reviewing data for disclosure risk and suggesting remediation, if necessary.
  • Determining whether the documentation is sufficient to read and analyze the data.
  • Working with you to fix any identified inconsistencies in the data
  • Creating a study description.
  • Adding question text to variables, if available.
  • Creating variable and value labels.
  • Adding study variables to the variables catalog to allow researchers to discover, examine, and compare variables across studies.
  • Cataloging (tagging) data for discovery via searches.
  • Making data available for exploration through online analysis.
  • For restricted data, recording disclosure protection rules.

Once quality checked and approved for distribution, data are made available on the DSDR and ICPSR websites and archived for long-term preservation.

Access and Preservation Formats

ICPSR makes quantitative data files available in several widely used formats, including ASCII, tab-delimited (for use with Excel), SAS, SPSS, Stata, and R. Documentation is provided as PDF. For long-term preservation, data are stored in accordance with prevailing standards and practice. Currently, ICPSR stores quantitative data as ASCII along with setup files for the statistical software packages, and documentation is preserved using XML and PDF/A.

DSDR and ICPSR Deposit Resources

For deposits that involve physical materials, please email icpsr-help@umich.edu

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