Research Guides: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) : Getting Started

Searching for Data

Search for data using ICPSR's search interface. You can also browse data by topic, series, geography, investigator, or multiple fields. Improve results by using search facets on the right side of the results pages. You do not have to be logged in to search or to download study documentation.

Getting Inspired

The Blalock Lecture Series hosted during the Summer Program features nightly talks, presentations, and panel discussions by respected scholars on topics related to professional development and socialization, as well as measurement issues and research on race, ethnicity, and gender. The lecture series is held in honor of Tad Blalock, a distinguished statistician and sociologist who was an Official Representative to the Consortium and a member of its Executive Council.

2021 Blalock Lecture Series

2020 Blalock Lecture Series

Locating ICPSR

Access to ICPSR is provided through a database proxy login accessible through the FSU Libraries Database list.

1. FSU Libraries Website → Databases A - Z → Select “I”

2. Scroll Down to

3. Click Link to Access ICPSR

NOTE: If you go to the ICPSR main page (https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/) without the FSU proxy, you will be asked to authenticate yourself before downloading any materials from the repository.

Create a MyData Account

A MyData account is required to access many of the features that ICPSR provides. Log in or create a MyData Account - you may also use your ORCID to log in - by clicking on the button in the upper right of the screen. Then click the button to create your free account.

Creating a MyData account will enable the following features:

Download data and use online analysis tool
Download data available only to ICPSR members
Generate utilization reports and download statistics
Update your account profile and settings

Having Trouble Logging In?

Review their FAQ Database for solutions.

Report a problem or leave feedback using their online form.

Or, if the FAQs and video tutorials do not answer your questions, contact ICPSR directly. Their user support staff are available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., ET, Monday to Friday.

Phone: 734-647-2200
ICPSR-help@umich.edu

Available Data

Find available data at the ICPSR website. Some studies are freely available, while most studies require membership in ICPSR for access. There are studies that are wholly or partially restricted from viewing and use, generally for security/privacy concerns, and these studies will contain information about those restrictions in the study documentation.

Note that some data sets have additional restrictions on use and access. The user is responsible for performing any procedures required to lift additional restrictions.

All data files arrive in compressed ZIP format from ICPSR and you will need to decompress the files prior to using them. This format is can be decompressed using decompression software such as WinZip, 7-zip, Unarchiver, or various command line utilities. Electronic codebook files are generally available as PDF files, text files (TXT), or Microsoft Word documents (DOC or DOCX).

There are several types of files that can be included with any data set:

Data file(s): Contains the raw data information
Codebook/Data Dictionary file: Describes the dataset, its variables, their locations, etc
SPSS file: Typically reads variables into SPSS
SAS file: Typically reads variables into SAS
R file: Typically reads variables into R
Manifest: Typically contains a list of all data files with checksums, number of records/variables, etc
Terms of Use: Outlines the responsibilities of the user who downloaded the dataset