Navigating the landscape of non-health administrative data in Scotland: A researcher’s narrative

Background: There is growing interest in using routinely collected administrative data for research purposes. Following the success of research using routinely collected healthcare data, attention has turned to leveraging routinely-collected non-health data derived from systems providing other services to the population (e.g., education, social security) to conduct research on important social problems. In Scotland, specialised organisations have been set up to support researchers in their pursuit of using and linking administrative data. The landscape of administrative data in Scotland, however, is complex and changeable, and is often difficult for researchers to navigate. Purpose: This paper provides a researcher’s narrative of the steps required to gain the various approvals necessary to access and link non-health administrative data for research in social and cognitive epidemiology. Findings: This paper highlights the problems, particularly regarding the length and complexity of the process, which researchers typically face, and which result in a challenging research environment. The causes of these problems are discussed, as are potential solutions. Conclusions: Whereas the potential of non-health administrative data is great, more work and investment are needed on the part of all those concerned – from researchers to data controllers – in order to realise this potential.