An Overview of ICPSR Fall 2005

2 What is “ICPSR”? Established in 1962, the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is the world’s largest Social Science data archive with a mission to: Collect and preserve research data for future generations Disseminate data economically for further analysis and instruction by researchers, scholars and instructors Serve as a leading quantitative analysis training resource

3 Where is ICPSR Located and How is it Funded? ICPSR is located at the Institute of Social Research at The University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, Michigan The consortium is 100% self-funded by membership dues from over 500 institutions across the globe; note that several specialized archives within ICPSR are funded by grants and contracts from the federal government or foundations

4 Who are our members? Over 90% of Carnegie Institutions classified as Doctoral Research Extensives are members Members originate from nearly every state in the U.S., Canada and across the globe Selected non-Carnegie members include: The Library of Congress, The Rand Corporation, The Brookings Institution, National Institute of Justice, International Monetary Fund, National Center for Education Statistics, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration

5 What does ICPSR do? Seeks out data producers (researchers, PI’s, research agencies, etc.) and collects data files and pertinent documents related to the original research Processes research data and documents for preservation now and into the future Outputs data into multiple formats (SAS, SPSS, Stata, etc.) to meet user preferences Disseminates data to scholars and researchers for secondary analysis via electronic access direct to their desktops Provides free user support related to datafile use Provides education/training via its renowned Summer Program courses held at the University of Michigan and various other campuses throughout the U.S.

6 Why does ICPSR Require Member Dues? Member dues are used to support ICPSR’s mission Membership dues:  Fund the cost of preserving, updating and storing data in formats that will remain viable for researchers both now and into the future  Underwrite the costs of acquiring and processing new data files and collections  Support the development and evolution of new products and user services desired by the membership  Support the development of training and education curriculums for students, scholars and researchers The fee structure is based on the theory that members will benefit economically in time and resources through access to usable data and supporting files located in one central location

7 What is the Summer Program? Since its inception, ICPSR has offered a Summer Training Program that provides a comprehensive, integrated program of courses in research design, statistics, data analysis and methodology Participants generally represent about 25 different departments and disciplines from over 200 universities and organizations around the world The intensive program is designed to offer instruction for the primary development and “upgrading” of quantitative skills among university faculty and researchers, graduate students and non-academic research scientists Members of ICPSR receive discounted tuition and travel stipends towards this renowned program offered on the campus of The University of Michigan and several other campuses across the U.S. Website:

8 What Disciplines can Find Data Related to their Fields of Study? Anthropology Criminal Justice Demography Economics Education Foreign Policy Gerontology Health & Medical Policy History Law/Legal Services Political Sciences Psychology Public Policy Sociology

9 Membership in ICPSR

10 What have Members Dues Accomplished in the Last Several Years? Acquisition, preservation and formatting of over 500,000 discrete files composing over 6,200 studies ICPSR Direct – instantaneous access to data direct to your desktop MyData – ICPSR data interface personalized to user preferences Development of “click n’ go” files in multiple software formats (SPSS, SAS, Stata) Enhanced Finding Tools: Robust Field-Specific Search capabilities Search Thesaurus – 4,500+ keyword search terms Development of detailed Metadata about each dataset Development of Bibliography of data-related publications (over 37,000 citations)

11 What do ICPSR’s over 6,200 studies include? To name a few... U.S. General Social Surveys: 1972-present International Social Survey Program: U.S. Census Data: World and European Values Surveys: Current Population Surveys: Surveys of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior: Consumer Expenditure Surveys: Consumer Price Index: Americans Changing Lives American National Election Studies:

12 What do ICPSR’s over 6,200 studies include? To name a few more... Public Opinion Polls (CBS and ABC News; The New York Times; The Washington Post) Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of the Lifestyles and Values of Youth: National Survey of Black Americans: Chicago Women’s Health Risk Study: National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Crime Victimization Survey: 1992 United Nations World Crime Surveys: Chinese Household Income Project

13 What Special Topic Collections are Located at ICPSR? Child Care and Early Education Health and Medical Care Archive International Archive of Education Data National Archive of Criminal Justice Data National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive Data Sharing for Demographic Research

14 Top 10 Benefits of Membership in ICPSR  Access to unique and influential social science data only available to members of ICPSR  Data that is “ready-to-go” and available in multiple software formats  Free user support – consulting and technical assistance  Discounts off of the renowned Summer Program – a leader in quantitative analysis training  Economical and efficient use of financial resources and researchers’ time due to ICPSR’s “one-stop shopping” – resources available all in one place: Access to a wide array of studies that are updated frequently Access to historical data (series data), not just the most recent wave Access to electronic reference materials to assist in research Evaluation of data and checks for accuracy

15 Top 10 Benefits of Membership in ICPSR  Sought-after faculty resource that assists in conducting research and instruction  Resource for data depositors oftentimes fulfilling grant requirements for data preservation and dissemination  Members have voice in ICPSR governance  Network of elite research institutions actively engaged in promoting the exchange of information  Contribution to the greater good – to the Social Science Commons – via membership support and data deposits

16 Need Further Information? Visit ICPSR’s website at: Contact Linda Detterman, Membership and Marketing Director, at or  Note that ICPSR maintains several printed materials (brochures and flyers) available upon request.