Data repository · Database
ICPSR
A repository of social and behavioural science studies, including specialised topical archives.
What ICPSR is
ICPSR is a repository preserving and sharing social and behavioural science research from Michigan.
The platform maintains specialised topical sub-archives to support targeted fields of enquiry. These include the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA) for gerontological and ageing studies, the Child and Family Data Archive (CFDA) for child development and family research, and DataLumos, an archive dedicated to preserving at-risk government data.
How it is organised
The repository indexes its holdings through DataCite rather than providing an open native application programming interface (API). Researchers navigate and locate records through external indexing and the repository portal, while downloading underlying study data files requires creating and authenticating with an ICPSR user account.
Key facts
- Total deposits
- 82k+
- Primary discipline
- Social and behavioural sciences
- Component archives
- NACDA, CFDA, DataLumos
- Metadata index
- DataCite
What you can use it for
- Ageing research
- Locate and analyse empirical social and behavioural datasets focusing on ageing populations via the NACDA collection.
- Child and family studies
- Retrieve research studies examining child welfare, family dynamics, and developmental outcomes through the CFDA archive.
- At-risk government data retrieval
- Access and examine preserved public and governmental records safeguarded within the DataLumos repository.
Query it here
The research agent queries ICPSR directly — no account, no API key — and every answer links back to the record it came from. Ask in plain language and it writes the query.
Strengths and limits
Good at
- Features dedicated topical archives for ageing, family studies, and at-risk public datasets.
- Deposit records are integrated and searchable through DataCite.
Watch out for
- Does not supply an open application programming interface (API) for programmatic data access.
- Requires users to set up an ICPSR account before any study can be downloaded.
Questions
Can I search ICPSR without writing code?
Yes. The research agent queries ICPSR directly, with no account or API key, and cites the record behind every answer. Ask in plain language — for a gene, a protein, a compound or a study — and it builds the query for you.
Can I reuse data from ICPSR?
ICPSR publishes its own terms of use; read them on https://www.icpsr.umich.edu before reusing its records.
What subject areas are covered by the repository?
It holds studies across the social and behavioural sciences, with specialized thematic archives for ageing (NACDA), child and family research (CFDA), and at-risk government data (DataLumos).
Does ICPSR have an open API for automated queries?
No. The repository does not offer an open API of its own, though its records can be reached via DataCite.
Are datasets directly downloadable without registration?
No. Downloading any study from the repository requires an ICPSR user account.
Written from ICPSR's own website and reference material. Statements citing a figure that does not appear there are removed before publication. Licence and running details come from our registry.