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Once the researcher
has defined the study question and determined variables of interest,
he or she can then evaluate potential data sources. Comprehensive
information about publicly available survey data is available
on the web at federal and university sites. Sites may include
compendiums of resources and data sources or detailed information
on a given survey. The Data
Council of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
maintains a website with a megadirectory of and links to DHHS
data sources. Sites maintained by AHRQ, CMS, the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) and its National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS),
provide comprehensive information on the surveys fielded by the
respective agency. In addition, the Federal
Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics maintains a
web page that includes a brief description of federally-sponsored
surveys relevant to aging research, together with links that provide
more detailed information about a particular survey. Comprehensive
information on data sources of interest is provided at the web
sites for the individual surveys.
MEPS,
MCBS, and NHIS
all maintain comprehensive sites. At these sites the investigator
may obtain survey documentation including survey design, survey
instruments and codebooks, information on obtaining the data,
and schedules for data release.
The Center for Demography of Health and Aging at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison maintains a web page titled Data
Sources for Research in Aging that provides information about
and links for scores of datasets on the sociologic, economic,
and medical aspects of aging.
The Inter-university
Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) maintains
and provides access to a vast archive of social science data.
These data are available to researchers employed by affiliated
academic institutions.
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