Application process and guidelines

To access the microdata housed in the RDCs, researchers must submit a project proposal to an adjudicating committee operating under the auspices of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Statistics Canada. 

How to prepare a project proposal
Approval of proposals
Security clearance procedures
Contract
Products
For Students
Guidelines

How to prepare a project proposal

• an internal-use number
• a password

Applicants must complete the Web CV and Application Forms and include the attachments indicated below. Before you begin your on-line application, please ensure that you have prepared all required attachments. These attachments include research contributions (maximum five pages) and the Project Proposal (maximum five pages). To ensure a swift review of your proposal, applicants are encouraged to include all elements of the Project Proposal Template.

Project proposal template

The Project Proposal is a maximum of five pages and must include the following:

• Title of the Project
  • The project title
• Rationale and objectives of the study
  • Clearly identify the specific questions or objectives of the project
  • State how the research will contribute to the knowledge in the field of study
• Proposed data analysis and software requirements
  • What is the proposed statistical methodology? How is it suitable for this project?
  • What software will you use?
• Data Requirements
  • An explanation of why access to the confidential data (as opposed to public use microdata files) is necessary.
  • Which survey file/files or cycles are to be used?
  • Provide a statement that the confidential data file(s) identified is (are) in fact suitable for the proposed research.
  • What is the specific population of interest in the required data set(s)?
  • What are the variables to be used?
• Expected project start and end dates
  • Expected project start and end dates
• References
  • Sources used to cite your quotes used in the proposal or for specific analytical methods employed

Each Research Data Centre (RDC) employs an RDC Analyst who would be happy to advise you during the preparation of your proposal. The Analyst can assess your proposal to determine whether the required elements are present. The Analyst can also advise whether your project is appropriate for access to the detailed micro data. Also, the RDC Analyst can provide you with information about conducting research in the RDC environment and the data holdings of the RDC.

The approval of proposals will be based on:  

• scientific merit and viability of the proposed research;
• viability of the methods to be applied— the data to be analyzed;
• demonstrated need for access to detailed microdata; and
• expertise and ability of the researchers to carry out the work

Within eight weeks of the date of application (sooner if possible), SSHRC will communicate the adjudication committee's decision to the project's principal applicant. 

If your proposal is approved and you are given access to a Research Data Centre, your contract with Statistics Canada allows you to access only the microdata specified in your approved research project and only for the purpose of completing that project. You must submit a proposal for any subsequent research project that you wish to carry out at an RDC. In addition, SSHRC and Statistics Canada may ask for a new proposal if the scope of your research changes significantly.  

To apply for RDC access, you must submit an RDC Access Proposal to SSHRC and get personal security clearance from Statistics Canada. 

Security clearance procedures

Once a project is approved a number of security procedures must be followed: 

• Statistics Canada will perform an Enhanced Reliability Check on any researcher who needs to access its data.
• Researchers will have to complete the security check forms within the presence of the Statistics Canada analyst at the RDC where the research will be conducted.
• The RDC analyst will send this form to Statistics Canada in Ottawa to be processed and will contact researchers to inform them of the results of the security check.
• The RDC analyst will invite the researcher, or group of researchers, for an orientation session to explain procedures at the RDC.
• At this session researchers will sign their contract with Statistics Canada and take the The Oath or Affirmation of Office and Secrecy.

RDC microdata research contract

The accepted proposal will become part of the contract between the researcher(s) and Statistics Canada. The contract specifies the following terms of access:

• Data sets to be provided by Statistics Canada (please note the contract grants researchers access only to the microdata specified in the approved research proposal).
• Project start and completion date
• Agreement of the researchers to abide by the RDC security and confidentiality requirements.
• Agreement to provide a product to Statistics Canada at the contract end date.

Final products

Within the RDC Microdata Research Contract, a Principal Investigator agrees to submit a product derived from their research project conducted at the RDC. Thus, a project is complete and contractual obligations met, once the Principal Investigator submits their product to Statistics Canada. Refer to the list below for examples of RDC products.

The Research Data Centre Program has redefined its policy on the type(s) of products they would like researchers to submit to fulfill their contractual obligations for data access. There are five types of outputs that a researcher can submit as a product for their research project.

1. RDC working paper: A paper for the RDC working paper series authored by the Principal Investigator for Statistics Canada.
2. Peer-reviewed journal article: A journal article authored by the Principal Investigator for a peer-reviewed journal.
3. Book or Book chapter: A book or book chapter authored by the Principal Investigator.
4. Thesis or Dissertation: A graduate level thesis or dissertation.
5. Commissioned Report: A commissioned report authored by the Principal Investigator.

If you would like to submit another type of product, please discuss this with your local RDC Analyst before the contract is written. Researchers are always encouraged to submit all final products to their local RDC Analyst. This is one means to measure the Program’s success.

What happens to the product(s) when submitted?

Statistics Canada is looking for research products that are of broad interest to Canadians and/or Canadian public policy. If such a product is identified, the Principal Investigator may be asked if they are interested in participating in translating their work into a Statistics Canada flagship publication.

Alternatively, Statistics Canada may offer to announce the major findings of the research in The Daily. The Daily is Statistics Canada's official release bulletin, and is the Agency's first line of communication with the media and the public. We want to emphasize that sending this material to Statistics Canada will in no way place in jeopardy the publishing of articles in journals or elsewhere. For instance, an announcement or summary of the researchers’ analysis in The Daily would be timed to coincide with or follow the release of the journal article or book (with the approval of the publishers), as is often done in medical journals.

For Students

Students applying for access to an RDC must have a professor provide a letter of reference in electronic format to lle@sshrc.ca, and a signed hard copy to: 

Luc Lebrun  
RDC Program Officer 
SSHRC 
350 Albert Street 
P.O. Box 1610 
Ottawa, Ontario  K1P 6G4

Granting Access to an RDC for Undergraduate Students

• Access will be granted based on the nature of the proposal.  For example if a  proposal requires descriptive and cross-tabular analysis of data sets this would not on its own be considered in depth enough to warrant access to RDC data. 
• Access will only be granted to Honour's year undergraduate students.
• Access will be granted only if the Academic Supervisor/Advisor is the Principal Investigator/applicant of the research team.   The student then becomes a co-investigator/co-applicant (the PI does not necessarily have to access the RDC and can leave this data research solely to the student).

Granting Access to Master’s and Doctoral Students

• Students (master’s or doctoral) who are registered at a Canadian post-secondary institution can submit projects that are an integral part of their thesis or dissertation work. 

Note: These applications will therefore not receive a procedural full peer review (that consists of two academic reviews and one institutional review).  Rather, applications would only receive an institutional review.

• The proposal must:
  • have been previously reviewed and approved by their academic supervisor prior to SSHRC submission; 
  • include a letter of support from their academic supervisor.  This letter must include a statement confirming that the proposed project has been reviewed and approved for research by their committee. The academic supervisor must also  forward the letter of support, both in electronic format and as a signed hard copy, to the responsible SSHRC program officer; and,
  • include within their research team their academic supervisor as an as applicant or a co-applicant.

• Students (master’s and doctoral) who are registered at a Canadian post-secondary institution and who are the applicant or co-applicant of a research team but who are not performing research for their thesis or dissertation work, must:
  • include a letter of support from their academic supervisor (refer to the criteria of support letter); and
  • include within their research team their academic supervisor as an as applicant or a co-applicant

Researcher guidelines

The Research Data Centres (RDCs) provide a rich source of Statistics Canada microdata for researchers, under secure conditions that govern all aspects of work from data access to publication of analytical output. These secure conditions are outlined in the Researcher guidelines.

• Guide for researchers under agreement with Statistics Canada (PDF)
  This guide describes the legal obligations, procedures and policies that apply to RDC researchers.

• Guidelines for RDC research papers
  These guidelines describe the publishing process and policies, including peer review.

• Data sources on transitions and learning outcomes (PDF)
  This document presents a list of social surveys that could be used to conduct research on learning.

• Checklists for writing 
  • National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY)
    Checklists for writing proposals and papers for projects using National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) data (PDF).
    These documents outline several methodological-related issues that users and prospective users of the NLSCY may wish to consider. 
  • Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS)
    "APS 2001: Guidelines for researchers and analysts" - This guide will be helpful for researchers preparing proposals to use the APS file, it may also be helpful for researchers who have already been approved to use the APS RDC file.