Below are the application questions asked of applicants in the SAP Portal. Required elements are noted with a red asterisk. Other application items are optional as they may not be relevant for all applications.
Project Title* [text box, max characters allowed: 200]
Title of project.
Project Duration* [text box, max characters allowed: 2]
How long is your proposed project in months? Make sure there is sufficient time to achieve project objectives and that the duration is not greater than the data provider’s maximum duration.
Requests for extensions beyond the initial proposed duration depend on the practices of the providing agency. Refer to the document below for the maximum length allowed by the agency from whom you are requesting data.
Note: A pop-up window provides a table of maximum duration for each agency. This information is also provided in the User Guide.
Funding* [text box, max characters allowed: 3800]
Please list any grants, FSRDC consortium funding, university funding, and any other sources of funding for this project. If none, enter “None.”
Timeline* [upload]
What is the timeline for completing project tasks? The document linked below should be used as an example of the level of specificity and format preferred.
Projects that use data from the U.S. Census Bureau are required under Title 13, U.S.C. to contribute to the Census Bureau’s mission.
These contributions are called “benefits.” The development of the timeline requires linking Census benefits to each of the project activities. Assistance from an FSRDC administrator will greatly reduce the need for future revisions to the timeline after submission. To find an FSRDC administrator near you, please check the list of FSRDC contacts. If you are unsure which FSRDC to contact or have a general question, please reach out to the Census Bureau at [email protected].
Note: A Project Timeline Template is provided and can be downloaded.
Research Question* [text box, max characters allowed: 3800]
What is the proposed research question?
Demonstrated Need* [text box, max characters allowed: 10000]
Explain why the research questions can only be addressed using the requested restricted- use microdata. Be as specific as possible, including listing key variables or methodological advantages of the restricted file compared to a public-use file (where available).
Study Population* [text box, max characters allowed: 10000]
Briefly describe the study population or universe and how it relates to the research question.
Project Abstract* [text box, 3800]
Provide a project abstract of approximately the length that would be published for a journal article. The abstract should broadly describe the purpose of the research, the type of data to be used, and the hypotheses to be tested.
Variables Requested [upload]
If you are requesting data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), or the Census of Agriculture from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), please upload a data dictionary indicating which variables you will need to access following the instruction on their pages: NASS, NCHS, and SAMHSA. If you are requesting the Census of Agriculture, please email the completed spreadsheet to [email protected] with your SAP application number.
Note: This question only appears for applications to NCHS, NASS, SAMHSA and ERS data.
Time, Geographic, and Other Units Requested [text box, max characters allowed: 10000]
Some datasets are made available only for the specific years or states that you need for your project. For each dataset you’re requesting, look at the “Application-related” tab on the main dataset page. If there are “Provisioned by…” fields, please list the years, states, or other units you are requesting for each dataset, indicating why these specific data are necessary for your research. If you have multiple datasets provisioned this way, list the dataset name and other information for each. If the “Application-related” tab shows no “Provisioned by” fields, you may skip this question.
Work Location* [check box]
Where will the data be accessed? If you and, if applicable, other members of the research team plan on using data in multiple places, please mark all that apply. Note that there are often fees for accessing data in a Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC). Please contact the FSRDC location you intend to use for more information. Other data may have fees for access as noted in the “Fees” field in the “Data Access” section of the information about the asset.
Data Linkages [upload]
Discuss data linkages planned for the research, if any. Please specify datasets to be linked, whether linkages are at the record level (e.g., person, household, business), the purpose of the linkage (e.g., geographic/industry context), and provide basic information on how the linkages are to be performed. Expected length, for projects including linkages only: 2-5 pages.
User-provided Data Select “Add user- provided data”
If you are planning to provide other data for use in this project, please describe those data below. Enter information about one dataset at a time, using the “Add User-provided Data” button to include additional sources.
Note: If the applicant adds user-provided data, the following questions will appear:
Name and Description of Data [text box, max characters allowed: 200]
Provide the name of the dataset, a brief description of its contents, and the approximate size of the file.
Ownership [text box, max characters allowed: 200]
Please indicate whether these data are publicly available or proprietary and provide the source (including URL, if applicable) from whom you obtained the data.
Anonymized [yes/no/ don’t Know]
Will personal identifiers be removed – that is, will the data be anonymized?
Linkage [yes/no/ don’t Know]
Will you be linking these to other data at the record (e.g., person, household, business) level?
Protected Identification Keys (PIKs) [yes/no/ don’t Know]
Will you require Census protected identification keys (PIKs) to be applied to these data in order to link to other Census Bureau data?
Note: This question only appears for Census data.
Software Requirements [text box, max characters allowed: 200]
If your project requires statistical software other than that which is currently available in the location in which you will access the data, please indicate that here.
Note: A pop-up window with a table of software by location is provided. This information is also listed in the User Guide.
Methodology* [upload]
Explain the methodology that will be used for the project. The methodology should be clearly stated and appropriate for the research questions. The metadata catalog, agency publications and statistical products, agency web pages describing the restricted access data, and agency contacts are valuable resources for background information for drafting a strong methodology. Expected length: 3-10 pages.
Your methodology may include, but is not limited to the following information, as appropriate
How each requested data set will be used
Model equations to be estimated
Estimation methods
How previous research supports the feasibility of the methodology of the project
How model variables will be constructed
Strategies for addressing data quality issues
Expected sample size and subsamples
Unit of analysis including level of geography
Ability to link datasets
Availability of the study population in the data
Use of sample weights, design variables, and adjustments for use of complex survey design
Expected outcomes
Projects that use data from the U.S. Census Bureau are required under Title 13, U.S.C. to contribute to the Census Bureau’s mission.
These contributions are called “benefits.” The development of the timeline requires linking Census benefits to each of the project activities. Assistance from an FSRDC administrator will greatly reduce the need for future revisions to the timeline after submission. To find an FSRDC administrator near you, please check the list of FSRDC contacts.
If you are unsure which FSRDC to contact or have a general question, please reach out to the Census Bureau at [email protected].
List of References* [upload]
List any publications referenced in this application as well as any other works that are of importance to this project.
Expected length: 2-5 pages.
Project Products* [text box, max characters allowed: 3800]
What are the anticipated journal articles, books, working papers, conference presentations, technical memoranda, dissertations, government reports, or other products for this project? Please include the names of journals.
Requested Output* [upload]
Describe the anticipated output for this project, including regression/modeling output, summary statistics, and any other output you intend to submit for disclosure review as well as anticipated methods to meet disclosure requirements (e.g., noise infusion). Please check with the agency contact if you are unsure of the agency’s output and disclosure requirements.
For modeling output include descriptions of the samples you anticipate using and variables you plan on reporting results on, including descriptions of categorical variables.
For tabular output, describe the output needed for the project products in detail, including examples when applicable (i.e., state groupings, levels of output and how you will display restricted-use data, analytic methods to reduce disclosure, etc.).
Each agency will assess this section based on its disclosure requirements. Some agencies’ disclosure requirements only allow for projects that emphasize regression/modeling output and a limited number of summary statistics that support this output, while others require table shells of requested output be included in the application.
Expected length: 2- 15 pages.
Census Benefits*
Projects that use data from the U.S. Census Bureau are required under Title 13, U.S.C. to contribute to the Census Bureau’s mission. These contributions are called “benefits.” List each proposed criteria, explaining how the benefit will be achieved. The development of Census benefits that will be accepted during the application review process can be challenging for many researchers. Assistance from an FSRDC administrator will greatly reduce the need for future revisions to your benefit statements after submission.
Assistance from an FSRDC administrator will greatly reduce the need for future revisions to your benefit statements after submission. To find an FSRDC administrator near you, please check the list of FSRDC contacts. If you are unsure which FSRDC to contact or have a general question, please reach out to the Census Bureau at [email protected]. (List of the criteria with details about each is provided within the application.)
Select a Criterion [drop down]
Criterion 2: Increase relevancy of trends
Criterion 3: Developing utilities
Criterion 4: Enhancing administrative functions
Criterion 5: Improving quality of data
Criterion 6: Improving methods for data collection
Criterion 7: Enhancing data usage lifecycle
Criterion 8: Improving underlying classification schemes
Criterion 9: Identifying further data needs
Criterion 10: Improving sampling frames
Criterion 11: Describing population
Criterion 12: Improving survey estimates
Criterion 13: Developing statistical weights
Criterion Description [text box, max characters allowed: 10000]
Agency Benefits* [text box, max characters allowed: 10000]
This question is required by the agencies listed below. Failure to answer this question could delay the determination of your application.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis
The Nation Center for Health Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Statistics of Income Division of the Internal Revenue Service
List the benefits to the agency from whom the data are requested, explaining how the proposed work will achieve those benefits. Please click the link below to view specific guidance provided by the above agencies.
Guidance for completing this question is linked within the application.
DOCUMENTS [upload]
Additional documents may be required depending on the data selected. These are typically presented for download, completion, and [upload]. If additional documents are required, these will appear in your application in the “Documents” section.
Some documents, such as IRB approval or security plans, may be requested by the data owners upon approval of the application.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Madray, Heather |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-11-18 |