Data Request Application

Data Merge Application

The Eviction Lab at Princeton University has collected and cleaned over 80 million eviction records from across the country. These eviction records can be merged with other data sources, by name and address, to provide previously unknown information about eviction experiences in other data sources. The Eviction Lab will review the requests and approve/deny based on time constraints, project merit, and outside researchers’ ability to meet data security requirements. All these merges will take place in the Eviction Lab at no cost. However, particularly time-intensive requests may require the inclusion of an Eviction Lab member as a co-author on the final project.

For your data to be considered for a merge, please apply via email to data.merge@evictionlab.org and answer all the following questions:

  1. Briefly describe your data.
  2. Why would you like your data merged with eviction records? What questions do you hope to answer?
  3. The Eviction Lab will merge your dataset with eviction records, merging on research subjects’ name and address. It will then return de-identified data to you, listing only case IDs and eviction information. Please describe the security measures you will take to house the de-identified data we provide to you, as well as how you will protect the confidentiality of evicted people represented in your dataset.
  4. Please attach a copy of your institution’s IRB approval/exemption.

By submitting your application, you agree to protect the identities of evicted persons by following this research protocol:

  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will re-identify the data and publish the names and addresses of evicted persons in any form.
  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will re-identify the data and distribute individual-level eviction data to outside persons or entities.
  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will re-identify the data and send individual-level eviction data through an unsecured email server, social media platforms, or other unsecured modes.
  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will re-identify the data and transfer individual-level eviction data onto personal computers or other devices.
  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will re-identify the data and share them with persons who are not affiliated with my research team.
  • I agree to store any data received from the Eviction Lab on a password-protected encrypted server, to which only I and my research team will have access. If the data is stored on a physical hard drive, it will be kept in a locked/secure location at all times.
  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will transmit data received by the Eviction Lab outside of the approved password-protected encrypted server.
  • I agree to follow data security provisions, articulated to my IRB, to protect the confidentiality of my research subjects and ensure that only approved research team members will have access to their personally identifiable information.

Custom Data Request

The Eviction Lab at Princeton University has collected and cleaned over 80 million eviction records from across the country. Outside researchers may submit requests for custom aggregate datasets that are not currently available on evictionlab.org. The Eviction Lab will review the requests and approve/deny based on time constraints, project merit, and outside researchers’ ability to meet data security requirements. All requests will take place in the Eviction Lab with no costs. However, particularly time-intensive requests may require the inclusion of an Eviction Lab member as a co-author on the final project.

For your data to be considered for a merge, please apply via email to data.merge@evictionlab.org and answer all the following questions:

  1. Briefly describe the data you are requesting from the Eviction Lab.
  2. What research questions are you looking to answer with this data? Why does the data currently available on the website not meet your needs?
  3. The Eviction Lab will return a custom aggregate dataset. Depending on the request, this information may contain data about the number of evictions that took place in a small geographic area, which presents a risk for re-identification of evicted people. Please detail the steps you will take to protect the personal identifiable information of evicted people.
  4. If you have one, please attach a copy of your institution’s IRB approval/exemption.

By submitting your application, you agree to protect the identities of evicted persons by following this research protocol:

  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will re-identify the data and publish the names and addresses of evicted persons in any form.
  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will re-identify the data and distribute individual-level eviction data to outside persons or entities.
  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will re-identify the data and send individual-level eviction data through an unsecured email server, social media platforms, or other unsecured modes.
  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will re-identify the data and transfer individual-level eviction data onto personal computers or other devices.
  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will re-identify the data and share them with persons who are not affiliated with my research team.
  • I agree to store any data received from the Eviction Lab on a password-protected encrypted server, to which only I and my research team will have access. If the data is stored on a physical hard drive, it will be kept in a locked/secure location at all times.
  • Neither I nor anyone on my research team will transmit data received by the Eviction Lab outside of the approved password-protected encrypted server.
  • I agree to follow these data security provisions to protect the confidentiality of evicted people and ensure that only approved research team members will have access to data received by the Eviction Lab.