What should my deposit include?

Regardless of which deposit option you choose, all deposits should include the data and documentation necessary for secondary users to independently read and interpret the data.

1. Data File(s). ICPSR encourages depositors to submit data files for curation as SAS, SPSS, or Stata files. ASCII files are also acceptable, particularly if setup files accompany them. Datasets in other formats are accepted as well. openICPSR can accept nearly any file format.

Each variable in the data collection should have a set of specific, 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 in the data file.

Please note that ICPSR can accept data with identifying information under conditions consistent with the study participants’ consent and the relevant Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. Please see the FAQ regarding restricted-use data, and feel free to contact us directly with any questions about identifiable or sensitive data.

2. Documentation. Documentation files are integral to interpreting a data collection and should thoroughly explain the data collection. Examples of documentation files include codebooks, copies of data collection instruments, summary statistics, project summaries, and bibliographies of publications using the data. Submitted documentation can be formatted in Microsoft Word, ASCII, or DDI XML files, among other formats. Documentation that has the question text integrated with variable information is preferred.

3. Description/Summary. Every new or revised ICPSR study includes a study description (i.e., study-level metadata) which provides summary information about the data collection. Study descriptions are valuable resources for data users. They include general information, such as study title and summary, and more detailed information about the study design, sample, and methodology. Much of the information used by ICPSR data archivists to create the study description comes from the ICPSR data deposit form. Please review the ICPSR Metadata Documentation Portal to learn more about the study-level metadata to include with your data deposit.