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The Value and Use of Secondary Data
Amy Pienta
ICPSR
Why use secondary data?
• Kuhn’s (1970) scientific paradigm Replication and confirmation of results The foundation of the scientific process is that research
should build on previous work,
• Sharing data and allowing for replication makes one’s work more likely to be taken seriously and cited more frequently (King et al., 1995).
Why use secondary data?
• The nature of large datasets virtually guarantees that a single researcher or group of researchers will not be able to use the dataset to its full potential for a single project.
• Utilizing secondary data ensures that resources spent on data collection are put to the best use possible and the public benefit is enhanced.
• Great value for students, postdocs, junior faculty (and others)
Secondary Data and Graduate Students
• Why graduate students use secondary data• Why graduate instructors use secondary data in
classroom
• ICPSR disclaimer
Graduate Students Users of Secondary Data at ICPSR
User Affiliations Spring 2005 2005 %s Spring 2007 2007 %s
Undergraduate Student 6535 25.8% 27791 29.1%
Graduate Student 10175 40.1% 34023 35.6%
University/College Faculty 4111 16.2% 15602 16.3%
University/College Staff Member 1113 4.4% 4045 4.2%
Research Organization 840 3.3% 3336 3.5%
Federal Government 341 1.3% 1167 1.2%
Local Government 295 1.2% 1003 1.0%
State Government 245 1.0% 966 1.0%
News Organization 100 0.4% 408 0.4%
Treatment Service Provider 118 0.5% 354 0.4%
Other 1492 5.9% 6876 7.2%
TOTALS 25365 95571
Common Uses of Secondary Data
• Class Assignments• Class Papers
Replication Original Analyses
• Student Presentations and Publications Sole author Co-authored with faculty Co-authored with students
• Theses and Dissertations
Replication Publication
A replication study is a valuable way to meet the goals of a graduate course (Gary King, 2006)
• get published• help professionalize students into the discipline• teach the scientific norms of the free exchange of
academic information.
Elements of a replication paper (King 2006)• Address a substantive problem in your field of interest• Begin by locating an article in your field, acquiring the data
used in the article, and replicating the specific numerical results in the tables and/or figures in that analysis
• Describe the extent to which you were able to replicate the author’s results
• After replicating, try to improve the presentation of the original results.
• Next, run some controlled methodological experiments designed to advance the state of knowledge about the substantive project.
Replication Publication
Secondary Data at ICPSR
• Finding Data For Classes, Projects, Papers and Presentations Basic Search Browsing the Collection
Preview of Part II
• Paula Lantz – American’s Changing Lives• James McNally – National Archive on Computerized
Data on Aging• Frank Stafford – Panel Study of Income Dynamics• Felicia LeClere – Minority Data Resource Center and
Data Sharing for Demographic Research
