Finding & Using Data from ICPSR   Tags: data_archives, datasets, social_sciences, statistics  

WHAT IS ICPSR?

The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is an organization of member institutions working together to acquire and preserve social science data, to provide open and equitable access to these data, and to promote effective data use.

ICPSR is the world's largest archive of computer-readable social science data.  In addition to archiving collections from disciplines such as sociology, political science, history, and economics, ICPSR has seven special emphases in gerontology, substance abuse and mental health, criminal justice, child care, health and medical care, education, and demography. 

While the ICPSR holdings include several time series and other types of aggregate data, the holdings consist mainly of raw data derived from surveys, censuses, and administrative records. These data were originally collected for specific research or administrative purposes. However, the data have research potential that outlives the original purposes for which they were collected. ICPSR preserves these valuable data resources and makes them publicly available for secondary analysis.

Guide inspired by Linda Parker's ICPSR LibGuide, Criss Library, University of Nebraska at Omaha.