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Preparing Your Deposit for Data Sharing

Part of the Creating an NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan with ICPSR Workshop

Katherine Baisden, Data Project Manager

Aubrey Garman, Lead Data Curator

October 2025

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Why Should Data Be Shared?

Sharing data is critical to the advancement of science.

Maximizes the value of investments in data collection.
Demonstrates good stewardship of the effort offered by individuals participating in research.
Provides opportunities for testing theories and using novel methods to solve problems.
Allows for replication and extension of research results.

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Preparing to Share/Deposit with ICPSR

Sharing data using ICPSR = Depositing

At a minimum, ICPSR requires that deposits include:

data files
documentation files (codebooks, user guides, questionnaires, etc.)
descriptive information about the study and methodology

Confirm that the informed consent or IRB documentation allows for data sharing.

Self-publish or curation?

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Curation at ICPSR

ICPSR Curation uses the files and information provided in deposits to:

Make a data collection (study) discoverable.
Create preservation copies of the materials.
Create multiple data file formats for equitable access and secondary use.
Ensure the data are being made available at the appropriate use level (public, restricted).

*This presentation primarily focuses on QUANTITATIVE data, which represents the majority of data housed at ICPSR.

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Curation at ICPSR, continued

Checks for issues of incompleteness in the data and documents them accordingly.
Standardizes data to convert it to multiple file formats.
Enhances variable level metadata with options to apply “question text” to variables.
Reviews for and resolves issues related to maintaining respondent confidentiality.
Creates study level metadata which result in study pages on the ICPSR sites.
Compiles documentation related to studies.

*This presentation primarily focuses on QUANTITATIVE data, which represents the majority of data housed at ICPSR.

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Getting all your ingredients together before Depositing

Just like baking - the experience is more enjoyable if you gather all your ingredients together before starting the process.

Same is true in depositing your data. Look at the deposit form and gather your information. If you have questions about any specific items, please contact our support staff at ICPSR.

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Helping ICPSR Understand the Deposit

Provide ICPSR with information on data use, access, and dissemination.

Are there publication or promotion deadlines?
Intended access - public or restricted access?
Terms of use agreements
Is this deposit related to data that have previously been distributed by ICPSR?
Are there any measures that are proprietary?

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Helping ICPSR Understand the Files

Ideal data formats accepted by ICPSR:

SAS (with formats catalog), SPSS, Stata, or ASCII (with setup syntax)

Common documentation formats include Word, PDF, Excel, etc.

Use clear file naming and folder structure with the deposited materials.

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File Inventory

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Data Preparation Tips

Clear variable names

Avoid using periods or non-alphanumeric characters (@, #, $), or starting names with a number (limitations across statistical software)
For longitudinal collections, plan for consistency in variable naming across time and/or develop a variable crosswalk
Understand that some software packages will also have limits on variable name length
Types of variable names

One-up - sequentially numbering the variables starting with an alpha character
Question Numbers - align the variable to the question number on the instrument
Mnemonic names - short variables names linked to concept of variable
Prefix, root, suffix systems - all variables that deal with education start with ED

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Data Preparation Tips, Continued 1

Variable Labels

Label all response options in categorical variables

Avoid duplicate value labels in the same variable

Consider variable order and variable groupings
Descriptive and unique variable labels

The item or question number from the original instrument
Clear indication of the variable’s content
Indication if the variable is a composite (created from a combination of other variables)

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Data Preparation Tips, Continued 2

Designate missingness or clearly label invalid responses
De-identify sensitive data

Remove direct identifiers or Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Consider using only month/year components of date variables
For public-use data, limit open-ended responses or string variables

Perform consistency checks

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Documentation is Important

It is helpful to provide complete study documentation:

Codebooks
Original data collection instruments, interview guides, etc.

Ensure compliance with copyright materials.

User guides, read-me files, manuals

Include applicable details on using weight variables, linking or merging data, and other important information needed to reuse the data.

Variable crosswalks, especially for longitudinal data
Consent forms
Syntax or programming code

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Metadata Makes Data FAIR

The fields you complete in the ICPSR deposit form directly relate to study metadata fields which result in complete study page information viewable and searchable to secondary researchers on the ICPSR site.

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Elements of Metadata for Deposit Manager and Study Home Pages

Project Description

Title

Title, Time Period, and Location

Project Description
Principal Investigators

Listed in order that is preferred

Funding Source

Scope of Project

Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage
Time Periods
Collection Dates
Universe
Collection Notes

Methodology

Response Rates
Sampling
Collection Models
Units of Observation
Geographic Unit

Related Publications

Note: Our Data Deposit Manager form will be changing in the near future.

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Deposit to Study Page Fields – Study Level Metadata

Deposit Workspace

Study Page

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Summary

When you are thinking about how to prepare your research projects for sharing, curation or self-published, consider the question:

“What would someone else need to know in order to use these materials?”