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Responsible Use Statement More Information on Research Responsibility

Preserving Respondent Privacy/Confidentiality

For all research projects, respondent or subject confidentiality is always a concern. Investigators are asked to review the data prior to submission to determine if the data contain information that would allow any of the subjects to be identified. This information should not be included in the files sent for archiving and public release.

ICPSR staff can provide assistance in handling confidential variables. Respondent privacy may be compromised by the inclusion of either direct or indirect identifiers. Neither should appear in a publicly released data file.

Direct Identifiers

Most familiar are the direct identifiers that may have been collected during the course of the project. Data collectors should remove all such identifiers from the data prior to submission to ICPSR. Data that include direct identifiers will be returned to the data depositor. For exception from this policy, please contact us at deposit@icpsr.umich.edu. Examples of direct identifiers include:

  • Names

  • Addresses, including ZIP codes

  • Telephone numbers, including area codes

  • Social Security numbers

  • Other linkable numbers such as driver license numbers, certification numbers, etc.

Indirect Identifiers

Variables that can also be problematic are the indirect identifiers that may be used in conjunction with publicly-available information to identify individual respondents. Decisions about these variables depend on the content of the data collection and the nature of the research subjects included in the dataset. Examples of indirect identifiers include:

  • Detailed geographic information (e.g., state, county, or census tract of residence)

  • Organizations (to which the respondent belongs)

  • Educational institutions (from which the respondent graduated and year of graduation)

  • Exact occupations

  • Place where respondent grew up

  • Exact dates of events (birth, death, marriage, divorce)

  • Detailed income

  • Offices or posts held by respondent

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