Researcher Roadshows

Making research easier: research-ready datasets.

This event was aimed at researchers and others working with data who would like to increase their understanding of how to maximise the value of secondary data.

Population cross-sectional surveys and longitudinal research generate rich and varied datasets that can cover multiple topics such as health, social life and attitudes and behaviours.  Projects such as, Understanding Society,  National Cohort Studies from the Centre for Longitudinal StudiesEnglish Longitudinal Study of AgeingNational Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, collect, clean and link data for their research objectives.

These projects also deposit their data with the UK Data Service, where it is made available to other researchers for further use. There are numerous advantages for researchers who can use these research-ready datasets from UK Data Service, rather than applying to data providers or collecting data directly from people.

The event brought together people that manage longitudinal research projects and cross-sectional national surveys, and researchers that have used these datasets from UK Data Service.  The session explored:

  • What data is available from UK Data Service
  • Some of the research undertaken with these datasets
  • The pros and cons of using research-ready datasets

For further information on our roadshows please contact us on: rsc@mrc.ukri.org.