Abstract
Starting with the premise that voluntary sharing of social science data is a desirable professional behavior, this article discusses a variety of justifications for data sharing. These justifications are found to be grounded in the scientific process itself—in the need for science that is more accurate, more open, more knowledgeable, and has more resources at its disposal. Although it is evident that the costs and benefits of data sharing are now unevenly distributed, and that primary researchers currently bear most of the burden and risks, it is argued that the adoption of a data-sharing norm in the social sciences would go a long way to remedy the imbalance. In this regard, the author supports the 1985 data-sharing recommendations put forth by the Committee on National Statistics.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychological Association (1981). Ethical principles of psychologists.American Psychologist, 36, 633–638.
Bazillion, R. J. (1984). The effect of access and privacy legislation on the conduct of scholarly research in Canada.Social Science Information Studies, 4, 5–14.
Boruch, R. F., & Cordray, D. S. (1985). Professional codes and guidelines in data sharing. In S. E. Fienberg, M. E. Martin, & M. L. Straf (Eds.),Sharing research data (pp. 199–223) Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Ceci, S., & Walker, E. (1983). Private archives and public needs.American Psychologist. 83, 414–423.
Cecil, J. S., & Griffin, E. (1985). The role of legal policies in data sharing. In S. E. Fienberg, M. E. Martin, & M. L. Straf (Eds.),Sharing research data (pp. 148–198). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Clubb, J. M., Austin, E. W., Geda, C. L., & Traugott, M. W. (1985). Sharing research data in the social sciences. In S. E. Fienberg, M. E. Martin, & M. L. Straf (Eds.),Sharing research data (pp. 39–88) Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Committee for the Protection of Human Participants in Research. (1982).Ethical principles in the conduct of research with human participants. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Committee on National Statistics. (1985). Report of the Committee on National Statistics: Issues and recommendations. In S. E. Fienberg, M. E. Martin, & M. L. Straf (Eds.),Sharing research data (pp. 39–88). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Day, L. A. (1983). In search of a scholar's privilege.Communications and the Law, 3–21.
Hedrick, T. E. (1985). Justifications for and obstacles to data sharing. In S. E. Fienberg, M. E. Martin, & M. L. Straf (Eds.),Sharing research data (pp. 123–147). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Hedrick, T. E., Boruch, R. F., & Ross, J. (1978). On ensuring the availability of evaluative data for secondary analysis.Policy Sciences, 9, 259–280.
Nelkin, D. (1982). Intellectual property: The control of scientific informationScience, 216, 704–708.
Nelson, R. L., & Hedrick, T. E. (1983). The statutory protection of confidential research data: Synthesis and evaluation. In R. F. Boruch & J. S. Cecil (Eds.)Solutions to ethical and legal problems in social research (pp. 213–236). New York: Academic Press.
Pearson, R. W. (1986).Research access to publicly collected data: A report based on a conference, November 21–22, 1985,Washington, D.C. New York: Committee on the Survey of Income and Program Participation, Social Science Research Council.
Simitis, S. (1981). Data protection and research: A case study of control.American Journal of Comparative Law, 29, 583–605.
U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. (1986).Federal government information technology: Electronic record systems and individual privacy. (Report No. OTA-CIT-296). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Wolins, L. (1962). Responsibility for raw data.American Psychologist, 17, 657–658.
Wolins, L. (1978). Secondary analysis: In published research in the behavioral sciences. In R. E. Boruch (Ed.),New directions for program evaluation, 4, 45–55.
Additional information
U.S. General Accounting Office. The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the GAO.
About this article
Cite this article
Hedrick, T.E. Justifications for the sharing of social science data. Law Hum Behav 12, 163–171 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01073124
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01073124