Archival Research
One of the lab's primary functions is to act as a data archive for over 2,000 data sets. Data are available in all subfields of political science, for topics ranging from peasant behavior in nineteenth century Russia, to incidents of war since 1400, to the latest U.S. national election studies. The lab staff can help students and faculty locate data sets appropriate for many research topics, and can provide them with the data through a variety of media including CD-ROM, floppy disk, ZIP disk, and the departmental network. Thanks to the efforts of the lab programmer, most of the ICPSR datasets are available on-site. Work is currently being completed to archive all of our holdings on a device that will allow customers more direct access to data through the department's webpage.
Identifying Data:
ICPSR provides a comprehensive catalog listing of all of its holdings. The catalog is maintained and updated consistently in an on-line format. To access the catalog, go to the ICPSR (http://www.icpsr.umich.edu) web page. This catalog can be searched in a number of ways, and you will need to provide specific information from your search, to the archivist when requesting information. To search the website, click on the word "archive" from the homepage. This will take you to a search engine page. You may search broad topical areas by clicking on any of the categories listed in the column on the right side of the screen. You may also search by title, principle investigator (PI), or study abstract. To do this, type a key word (s) in the box on the left. If you type in an investigator, click on the arrow next to the word "title" in the box just below your search word, and change the type of search to "PI." Unless you know the specific title of a study, type in the best key words, and change the "title" search to "abstracts" (just as you would have changed PI for names), then click "search." Abstract searches will give you the best, and broadest, range of studies that fit your interests.
From the results page, you can read about a study by clicking on "AB" for abstract. You can click on "DA" to see a list of the component pieces of the study. ICPSR may late you download the codebook or, in some cases, the entire dataset from this screen. Anything listed under the words "freely available" can be downloaded by anyone. Items listed under "restricted to authorized users" must be ordered through the archivist.
Obtaining Data:
Once you have identified the dataset(s) you will need, fill out a request form (located on the glass next to the door of the lab) and give it the archivist. Make sure that you include the study number and title of the data set you're interested. Please be advised that we do not simply retrieve the data, we must also make it into a usable format and into a format that can be stored for future users on our mainframe. Therefore, please allow ample time (up to two weeks) for an order to be processed. Orders are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Most of the ICPSR datasets are available on-site, but in some cases it may be necessary to order data and documentation directly from ICPSR. Such orders will require more time than on-site processing.
Exchange Program:
Once your order has been processed, you can expect to receive an email from the archivist regarding when the data can be picked up. As part of our exchange policy, you will need to provide the archivist with a new CD-ROM, diskette, or zip cartridge, depending on the form of your data. The archivist will provide that information in the email message regarding pick-up.
Popular Data Sets:
We keep copies, usually in CD-ROM format, of some of the most commonly requested data sets, including the General Social Survey Cumulative File, the American National Election Study, and the National Black Election Study. Additionally, we have also created several series including the Black Politics Series and the Latino Studies Series. For more information about obtaining these data sets, contact Corwin Smidt .
Important Links:
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
SDA: Survey Documentation and Analysis SDA is a set of programs for the documentation and web-based analysis of survey data. The archive includes several data sets including the American National Election Study (ANES) and the General Social Survey (GSS).
National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD
Questions about archival material should be addressed to Corwin Smidt (Archivist).
