Scope and Purpose
The mission of the UK Data Archive is to support high quality research, teaching and learning in the social sciences and humanities by acquiring, developing and managing data and related digital resources, and by promoting and disseminating these resources as widely and effectively as possible.
The UK Data Archive provides access to over 5,000 social science data sets including both quantitative data and qualitative data from a wide range of disciplines. Access to the data catalogue, including online documentation such as questionnaires, does not require registration. However, only registered users can download data.
A large part of the UK Data Archive's data collection consists of publicly funded data, especially large-scale statistical surveys such as the General Household Survey and Labour Force Survey. Another important source of data is the academic community, sponsored by the ESRC and other funding bodies. In this category belong studies such as the British Household Panel Survey and the Millennium Cohort Study. The UK Data Archive also provides access to important international macrodata series (aggregate data) such as those held by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank via its partnership with Mimas.
The UK Data Archive ensures that the data will be available not just to current researchers but also to future researchers through digital preservation and migration to new storage media as technology evolves.
To promote the use and re-use of its data, the UK Data Archive provides technical support and advice to users on how to access and use the data, and on data management issues. The UK Data Archive also works closely with national and international partners on data-related projects and initiatives.
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