Access Data
ISSDA holds quantitative social science data related to Irish society
Access Data
Follow 3 simple steps to apply for data-
- Identify the dataset(s) you are interested in.
- Complete the ISSDA Data Request Form for Research Purposes - Pseudonymised Datasets or ISSDA Data Request Form for Teaching Purposes - Pseudonymised Datasets available on the data study page. Ensure you complete all sections of the form. Sign the End User Licence by digital signature or by inserting a small image of your signature onto the form
- Send your completed application form to (opens in a new window)issda@ucd.ie. We will then assess your application. Data is delivered electronically.
The ISSDA Privacy Policy for End User and Data Depositors outlines how we collect and use personal data (information) about individuals requesting access to data in the Archive.
Datasets deposited with ISSDA are for research and educational purposes only.
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Distribution of Data
Datasets will be distributed via an online download service, called FileSender. The datasets are password protected and encrypted, and require (opens in a new window)PKWARE software, to decrypt the file. Further instructions will be sent with each dataset.
Data Formats
Most of the data held by ISSDA is distributed in SPSS, SAS or Stata formats. In some cases, data are provided in MS Excel or comma separated values (CSV) formats. Please check the relevant dataset to check the format of the data before making your request, as it is not be possible to supply data in formats other than those supplied to us by the Data Provider.
Documentation
In addition to sending out data, ISSDA also sends users related documentation. Documentation is supplied for the most part in PDF format, with a smaller number of files coming in either MS Word and plain text formats.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at: issda@ucd.ie
What can I use the datasets for?
Research/Educational Purposes
By requesting the data for Research purposes you can use the data in your research project. This includes student projects or assignments that you may be working on.
Teaching Purposes
Some datasets can be used for teaching purposes. Please check the dataset table or individual dataset pages. There is a separate request form for teaching purposes, and you can find this on the individual dataset pages, where applicable. Teaching Request forms must be used if you plan on using the data in a classroom situation. This covers sharing of data with students in a classroom situation and the use of the data for an associated assignment for educational credit. Teaching requests are approved on a once-off module/workshop basis. Subsequent occurrences of the module/workshop require a new teaching request form.
If a student wishes to publish formally in a journal etc. afterwards as a separate research project (i.e. outside the module requirements/assignment), then an individual signed ISSDA Data Request Form for Research Purposes from the student is subsequently required.
Please note that there may be additional delays with the application procedure for some of the datasets, as the data providers may need to be consulted. Please feel free to (opens in a new window)issda@ucd.ie with any queries.
Commercial Purposes
The datasets were deposited with ISSDA under the usage condition of research and education use only.
Further Queries
If you have further queries check out our Frequently Asked Questions
Data Citation
Just as you would cite a book or article used in your research you must cite the data to
- Credit the creators of the data
- Make data easier to identify
- Allow the use and impact of data to be tracked
- Increase the reproducibility of your research
Data citation should contain the following elements:
- Creator
- Publication year
- Title
- Resource type
- Version
- Publisher
- Identifier
Each ISSDA study page has a suggested citation
IDS-TILDA. (2024). IDS-TILDA Wave 3, 2016-2017. [dataset]. Version 1. Irish Social Science Data Archive. SN: 0073-05. https://www.ucd.ie/issda/data/idstilda/idstildalwave3/
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Find Data From Other Archives
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(opens in a new window)UK Data Archive - The UK's largest digital collection of social sciences and population research data
