Search & Data Access

*All PHDCN data, except Systematic Social Observation, are restricted access, i.e., accessible only through an individual application with supporting materials. Applications are handled by the the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD). Information on responsible use can be found under the last four of the headings above. Start with Restricted Access Data Procedures and read carefuly before applying.

Search the Web Site & Data Holdings

This search form searches only content related to the PHDCN. Please use the ICPSR main search to search all ICPSR holdings.

This search engine only searches for words on Web pages or in study descriptions. You can also try Search by Topic and Variable-Level Searching below. The Searching FAQ provides search tips and detailed explanations on how our search engine works.

Search by Topic

Quantitative Data & Documentation

Browse by Type of Data

The links below describe the various PHDCN data collection components and show the availability of data for each component.

Variable-Level Searching

This feature searches the variable and value labels across all PHDCN data files that are publicly available. Some PHDCN files have question text included as part of the metadata and, when available, question text is also included in the search.

Here are some general guidelines for using the variable-level search below:

Searches are not case-sensitive.
Quotation marks are interpreted literally so don't use them.
Only whole words are matched--no wildcards or partial words.
Try different forms of the search term or use synonyms (e.g., employ, employment, job, work).
Be patient. This program searches thousands of variables and can sometimes be slow.
For more detailed information, see How to Search for Specific Variables.