Self-study material for microdata users - Access to microdata

Self-study material for the users of Eurostat microdata sets

The self-study material provides guidance on how to become a ‘safe researcher’ who is eligible to use Eurostat microdata. We hope it will contribute to safe use of confidential data for scientific purposes and better understanding of the access procedures and requirements.

Content of the self study material

The material is composed of the following modules:

Module 1 Introduction

Module 2 Perceptions about research use of data

Module 3 Understanding restrictions on data access

Module 4 Thinking about data access

Module 5 What things go wrong - an evidence-based analysis

Module 6 Statistical disclosure control

Module 7 How can you help?

Module 8 Reference material

You may read the whole material at once or just pick up specific modules.

Self-assessment test

You may also take up the self-assessment test. The test requires you to look through the whole self-study material and some reference documents. You can do the test as many times as you like.

In order to do the test you need to download the excel file and enable macros. Instructions for completing the self-assessment test:

  1. Go to the spreadsheet "Safe researcher test" (the second tab).

  2. Click on the button "Create test". This will generate the random assignment of test answers.

  3. In the column "Your answer" enter the value 1 to 5 which you think is the correct answer. You can go back and edit your answers if necessary.

  4. When you have filled in all your answers, click on the button "Show score". This will not work until you have suggested an answer to each question.

  5. Review your score. Individual questions are marked as "T" (true answer) or "F" (false answer) in the column next to your answer.

  6. Review your understanding. Each answer (including the correct one) has feedback associated with it. This should explain why the answer is wrong (or why it is correct, if that surprises you).

  7. Once you have marked the initial test, further changes you make will immediately be reflected in the score and the feedback column. This allows you to confirm your understanding.

We hope that you will find the material and test interesting and inspiring. Your feedback is welcome: ESTAT-microdata-access@ec.europa.eu