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Secure Empirical Analysis Lab (SEAL)

Faculty of Social Sciences

How to apply to access confidential data?

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The process of a researcher accessing confidential data depends on the data owner:

  • SEAL has some data already available to researchers through existing data sharing agreements

Review available datasets

    • If you are seeking data not currently in SEAL, you will need to approach the organization that owns the data and ask them to share it with you.

    • The easiest starting point is with another researcher that has access to the same data. They can point you to the right person to speak with and the process if there is one.

      • If you don't know who owns the kind of data that you want, you can search for journal articles on the topic to identify potential data sources and the owners of the data.

      • If that doesn't work, you can reach out to SEAL. We do a lot of data sharing agreements so we may know who owns a particular type of data and be able to direct you to the right person to coordinate with.

      • If neither of the above works, call the organization's switchboard and ask to speak to whoever manages their data.

    • In any case, if this is your first time requesting data access or you're at all nervous, we are happy to assist you for free with composing your request.