Quick Reference Guide for Microdata Archivists

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. Organizing The Folder Structure

2. Gathering and Preparing the Data Set

2.1. File Organization

2.2. Check File Structure and Coverage

2.3. Verify Record Counts

2.4. Validate Unique Identifiers

2.5. Check for Duplicates

2.6. Verify File Relationships

2.7. Validate Data Types

2.8. Check Variables with Missing Values

2.9. Validate Value Ranges

2.10. Verify Weights and Strata

2.11. Check Variable and Value Labels

2.12. Assess Variable Relevance

2.13. Verify File Size

2.14. Protect Respondent Privacy

3. Gathering and Preparing the Documentation

4. Documenting the Study, Data File(s) and Variables

4.1. Document Description

4.2. Study Description

4.3. File Description

4.4. Variable Description

4.5. Variable Groups

5. Documenting External Resources

6. Metadata Quality Assessment

7. Generating the Output for Publication

8. Cataloging Data, Metadata and Resources

Data Discoverability

Conclusion

Appendix

Administrative Data Documentation

Data Validations in Stata

Downloads & Resources

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Downloads & Resources

Quality Assessment and Feedback Form

Download: Microdata Documentation Quality Review Checklist with Checkboxes

This Word document provides a checklist for reviewing and assessing the quality of microdata documentation. Use this form to provide feedback on metadata completeness and accuracy.

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Downloads & Resources ​

Quality Assessment and Feedback Form ​

Downloads & Resources

Quality Assessment and Feedback Form