To perform research within the NYCRDC requires the development and approval of a proposal. Proposal guidelines for Census RDC data projects can be found at the Center for Economic Studies web page. It is important to contact either the NYCRDC (Baruch) Administrator or the NYCRDC (Cornell) Administrator early on about your prospective project to help you navigate the process and answer your questions. The CES research proposal process outlines the steps to get started. Final proposals may be submitted on a rolling basis through the CES web page in PDF form, and are subsequently reviewed by both members of the academic community and government researchers before a final decision by the Census Bureau.

Information for:

Census RDC proposals
National Center for Health Statistics proposals
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality proposals

Census RDC Research Proposals

All proposals for conducting research using Census confidential data inside NYCRDC are reviewed on the basis of five major criteria:

• Benefits to Census Bureau
• Scientific Merit
• Need for Non-Public Data
• Feasibility
• Risk of Disclosure

The Proposal Process

It requires two distinct steps to submit a research proposal. The first step is to enter preliminary proposal information in the CES proposal management system. The second step is the submission of a final proposal.

Outline of Steps in Proposal Submission

Proposals are submitted via the CES on-line proposal management system accessible on the CES website. Researchers must consult with the RDC Administrator about the content and form of a research proposal before submitting proposal information through the CES on-line management system. The proposal review process is lengthy and rigorous, and the administrator can assist researchers in determining data availability and in preparing worthy proposals.

1. Read RDC research proposal guidelines at http://www.ces.census.gov/index.php/ces/researchguidelines.
2. Discuss your project with the RDC Administrator (NYCRDC (Cornell) Administrator or NYCRDC (Baruch) Administrator).
3. Create an account into the CES management system via http://www.ces.census.gov/index.php/ces/createaccount.
4. Log into your CES account and enter a brief preliminary proposal via http://www.ces.census.gov/index.php/ces/formlogin.
5. Work with the RDC Administrator in developing your final proposal.
6. When invited by the RDC Administrator, upload your final proposal into the CES system. The final proposal consists of three separate documents in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF):
   1. Abstract of the proposal,
   2. Project description (full proposal), and
   3. Statement of benefits to the Census Bureau.
7. Contact the RDC Administrator for an update on your proposal status.

Sample RDC Census Research Proposals

NCHS and AHRQ Proposals

Proposals follow the process outlined for using the NCHS RDC and AHRQ RDC respectively. See links below:

NCHS

AHRQ

Upon receiving indication of approval by NCHS/AHRQ, project information should be entered into the Census RDC proposal management system following steps 3 and 4 under the guidelines for Census RDC proposals and email a copy of your NCHS/AHRQ proposal to the RDC Administrator. No new proposal is required.

Note: Proposals to use Census RDC confidential data in conjunction with AHRQ or NCHS data must meet Census RDC guidelines and go through the Census review process in additon to AHRQ or NCHS review.