Clarification on reuse of publicly available census questionnaires and derived data

INTERNATIONAL
1

I have a question about research derived from the census questionnaires/documentation that are publicly accessible through IPUMS International ( IPUMS International ). This question concerns the publicly available census forms, not IPUMS International microdata.

I have created an original coded dataset based on my analysis of IPUMS International census questionnaires. I code whether particular censuses use terms such as “race,” “ethnicity,” or “tribe,” and instructions and response categories where available. I am hoping to make this coded dataset publicly available through Harvard Dataverse in connection with a forthcoming journal article, both for replication purposes and to facilitate future research by allowing other researchers to build on the coding I have already completed.

I noticed that the IPUMS International terms prohibit redistribution of IPUMS data, while the FAQ states that access to documentation is freely available without restriction. Could you clarify whether the restriction on redistribution applies to an original dataset containing my own coding and analysis derived in part from the publicly accessible census questionnaires?

Thank you for your guidance.

2

Thank you for your careful consideration of the IPUMS International terms of use. You do not need permission to redistribute documentation related to IPUMS International data, or related to other IPUMS data collections. These documents are freely and publicly available for reference, including for the uses you described. Please cite the original data providers who produced the documentation and IPUMS International appropriately.

3

Please also add the Harvard Dataverse database and any publications arising from this project to the IPUMS Bibliography, which helps us showcase the excellent work of IPUMS users to our grantors.

4

Thank you for the clarification. I have a follow-up question about citing the original data providers.

The IPUMS list of national statistical offices identifies the “Central Statistical Office” as the original data provider for both Zambia and Zimbabwe. However, the statistical offices in both countries have since changed names: the current institutions are the Zambia Statistics Agency and the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, respectively.

When citing the original data providers, should I use the names listed by IPUMS (“Central Statistical Office”), the current names of the institutions, or both?

5

You should use the current names of the data providers. Thank you for checking. This is a helpful prompt for us to review our list of international partners to ensure all information is up to date.