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. 2022 Apr 27;7(1):1718.
doi: 10.23889/ijpds.v6i1.1718. eCollection 2022.

What makes administrative data "research-ready"? A systematic review and thematic analysis of published literature

Louise Mc Grath-Lone  1 , Matthew A Jay  2 , Ruth Blackburn  1 , Emma Gordon  3 , Ania Zylbersztejn  2 , Linda Wiljaars  2 , Ruth Gilbert  1   2
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What makes administrative data "research-ready"? A systematic review and thematic analysis of published literature

Louise Mc Grath-Lone et al. Int J Popul Data Sci. .

Abstract

Introduction: Administrative data are a valuable research resource, but are under-utilised in the UK due to governance, technical and other barriers (e.g., the time and effort taken to gain secure data access). In recent years, there has been considerable government investment in making administrative data "research-ready", but there is no definition of what this term means. A common understanding of what constitutes research-ready administrative data is needed to establish clear principles and frameworks for their development and the realisation of their full research potential.

Objective: To define the characteristics of research-ready administrative data based on a systematic review and synthesis of existing literature.

Methods: On 29th June 2021, we systematically searched seven electronic databases for (1) peer-reviewed literature (2) related to research-ready administrative data (3) written in the English language. Following supplementary searches and snowball screening, we conducted a thematic analysis of the identified relevant literature.

Results: Overall, we screened 2,375 records and identified 38 relevant studies published between 2012 and 2021. Most related to administrative data from the UK and US and particularly to health data. The term research-ready was used inconsistently in the literature and there was some conflation with the concept of data being ready for statistical analysis. From the thematic analysis, we identified five defining characteristics of research-ready administrative data: (a) accessible, (b) broad, (c) curated, (d) documented and (e) enhanced for research purposes.

Conclusions: Our proposed characteristics of research-ready administrative data could act as a starting point to help data owners and researchers develop common principles and standards. In the more immediate term, the proposed characteristics are a useful framework for cataloguing existing research-ready administrative databases and relevant resources that can support their development.

Keywords: administrative data; research-ready; systematic review; thematic analysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Statements on conflicts of interest: None to be declared.

Figures

Figure 1: Flow diagram of study selection
Figure 1: Flow diagram of study selection
Figure 2: Key characteristics of research-ready administrative data
Figure 2: Key characteristics of research-ready administrative data
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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