The Enduring Value of Social Science Research: The Use and Reuse of Primary Research Data

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to examine the extent to which social science research data are shared and assess whether sharing is associated positively with number of publications resulting from the research data. We construct a database from administrative records containing information about thousands of social science studies that have been conducted over the last 40 years. Included in the database are descriptions of social science data collections funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Using a subset of these awards, we conduct a survey of principal investigators (n=1,021). We find that very few social science data collections are preserved and disseminated by an archive or institutional repository. Informal sharing of data in the social sciences is much more common. The main analysis examines publication metrics that can be tied to the research data collected with NSF and NIH funding – total publications, primary publications (including PI), and secondary publications (nonresearch team). Multivariate models of the count of publications suggest that data sharing, especially sharing data through an archive, is associated with many more times the publications compared to not sharing data. This finding is robust even when the models are adjusted for PI characteristics, grant award features, and institutional characteristics.

Details

Creators

Amy Pienta; Jared Lyle; George Alter

Institutions

Date

Keywords

singapore; research data sharing; scientific productivity; digital preservation

Publication Type

paper

License

CC BY-SA 3.0 AT

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