UC Davis Procedures for Acquiring Restricted-Access Data for Secondary Analysis
Increasingly, social scientists are turning to the use of restricted-access (confidential) data in secondary analysis. Restricted-access data are provided by a data-collection agency or authorized supplier and must be used with formal confidentiality protections specified in a data transfer agreement. Acquisition of such data requires a contractual agreement between UC Davis and the data provider accepting those terms and detailing the security protocol to be used to ensure those confidentiality protections.
UC Davis researchers must also meet internal institutional requirements to employ restricted-access data. Typically, a researcher must obtain approval to do research involving human subjects from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and submit the data transfer agreement to UC Davis InnovationAccess Technology Transfer Services (TTS) for review, negotiation and/or signature. Every data transfer agreement must be consistent with UC’s eight core "Principles Regarding Rights to Future Research Results In University Agreements with External Parties" available at http://www.ucop.edu/ott/genresources/principles.html. These procedures must be followed whether or not external funding is being requested or received for the data analysis.
Review by Institution Review Board Administration
Use of restricted-access data typically qualifies for the IRB “exempt review” process. This usually entails requesting category 4 — collection or study of existing data — exemption via submission of the Exemption Application Form. A copy of the proposed security protocol should accompany the form.
Completion of Restricted-Access Data Agreements
TTS is the only authorized signatory for restricted-access data transfer agreements. The processing of agreements required by the data provider should be started, using the Material Transfer Request Form, at the same time materials are submitted to the IRB.
Examples of Restricted-Access Data
Major sources of restricted-access data in the social sciences include (but are not limited to) the following:
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National Center for Education Statistics, Institute for Educational Sciences. NCES IES Restricted Use Data License Procedures
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U.S. Census Bureau Research Data Center. Census Bureau Research Data Center Research Proposal Guidelines
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Researcher Access to Confidential Data Files at the BLS
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Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) (at the University of Michigan). PSID FAQ
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The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) (at the University of North Carolina). About Restricted Use Contractual Data (Add Health)
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National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (at the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research). NACJD Restricted Data
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National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Research Data Center. NCHS Research Data Center Procedures
This information is provided as a service to the campus social science community. The IGA Library & Data Archive and the Social Science Data Service do not directly support the use of restricted-access data due to the security protocols required for their use.
The Network of Nations: The Evolution of International Relations, 1816 - 2005