Applied Econometrics: 3250:325 and Applied Econometrics II 3250:326: ICPSR

ICPSR, the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, is a unit within the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan that consists of some 740 member colleges, universities, and other research institutions world-wide. ICPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction (over 8,000 discrete studies/surveys with more than 65,000 datasets). As a member of (ICPSR) UA students, faculty, and staff have access to ICPSR's data archive, which includes more than 500,000 files of research in the social sciences.

Like all resources, datasets should be cited whenever they are used in a publication, paper, presentation, or assignment. Here are some guides to citing data:

Although ICPSR is a complex database, there are numerous  Video Tutorials and a list of Frequently Asked Questions to help you get started. There is also a searchable video tutorial archive for more advanced questions. If you take the time to learn from these tutorials, you should be able to navigate the database.

Starting with the Find Data portal, search by keyword or browse by topic. Before you download datasets, you must read and agree to the terms of use.

• Some datasets are freely accessible, and can be simply downloaded in an available format, which may include plain text, SAS, SPSS, and Stata. Not all files are available in all formats.
• Some datasets require access through the institutional membership. Users accessing ICPSR from the UA main campus will be automatically recognized; off-campus users should use the UA proxy link for ICPSR. Once authenticated, create a MyData account or sign in with a Google or Facebook account.
• Certain datasets are restricted in order to protect respondent confidentiality. This information is detailed in the "Access" section for the dataset. Typically, ICPSR requires a research application and proof of local IRB approval for the project.

All datasets are accompanied by codebooks and other supporting documentation. Review these carefully to ensure proper interpretation of the data.

ICPRS can also be searched through the Harvard University IQSS (Institute for Quantitative Social Science Dataverse platform.

UA students and faculty can use the Virtual Lab to access SPSS 21, SAS 9.3 with Enterprise Miner, SAS JMP Pro 10, and MiniTab 16.

Whether you are using SAS, SPSS, MiniTab, Stata, R, or another system to analyze data, there are resources available to help you get started.

• Search the UA Libraries Catalog for the software name to locate and access ebooks and print books related to the software package.
• Try the UA Libraries' subscription to Safari Books Online to see if there is an ebook related to the software package.
• You can also search the OhioLINK Library Catalog to request a book from another library.
• Search the internet with the software name and a keyword related to the problem you are encountering.
• You can also find tutorials and videos on the internet to help address specific issues.

Some ICPSR datasets can now be viewed instantly using SDA: Survey Documentation and Analysis. An excellent introduction to using SDA is available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive (SAMHDA), and a full video webinar (with a demonstration starting at 12:55) is available from ICPSR. 

Use the data search filters to create a list of all ICPSR datasets available in SDA.