STRUDL FAQs

• DOL’s STRUDL is a rapid, cost-effective way to generate applied knowledge, foster collaboration, responsibly manage taxpayer resources, and advance DOL-wide priorities. STRUDL allows approved researchers access to DOL datasets for approved research projects, providing more researchers safe access to DOL’s data.
• STRUDL also advances DOL’s mission to “foster, promote, and develop the welfare of wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.”
• Further, STRUDL’s purpose aligns with the initiatives from the 2019 Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act for federal agencies to improve and expand access to data for better evidence-based public policy decision making.

• DOL collects survey and administrative data for many reasons, such as program administration, evaluations of DOL programs, and other related activities. The collected data may contain personally identifiable information (PII) or other potentially sensitive data that cannot be publicly released for ethical and legal reasons.
• To see a full list of Department of Labor datasets, review the Enterprise Data Inventory.

• Many DOL evaluation projects and datasets do not contain an accompanying public-use data file and are only available through DOL restricted-use data access.
• Some DOL evaluation projects will have both a public-use dataset and a restricted-use dataset. DOL is making the restricted-use dataset available to approved researchers as the restricted-use data will contain more detail and some research projects may need this higher level of detail.
• Applicants must first check whether the public-use data cannot meet their research needs before applying for restricted-use data. In other words, applicants must explain why access to restricted-use data is necessary and that public-access data or alternative sources of data are insufficient to answer their research questions.

• Successful applicants or approved researchers’ respective organizations are required to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) with DOL to access and use restricted-use data. See a description of the NDA form in the STRUDL Application Materials section of STRUDL: Forms.
• Approved researchers must agree to abide by the rules outlined in the NDA for using the data.
• Unauthorized use or disclosure of DOL information or information systems may result in cancellation of the approved researchers’ access to controlled unclassified information, and any other appropriate action, including, but not limited to, criminal sanctions under the Privacy Act of 1974, the Trade Secrets Act, and 18 U.S.C. 641. In addition, the approved researchers’ organization may be suspended from work involving remote access of DOL data due to a failed surrender of the materials or documents listed before.

• Applicants must demonstrate to DOL they have the appropriate knowledge, skills, and resources to meaningfully work with the data to accomplish their research objectives while adhering to the NDA. As part of the application process, all senior personnel, key personnel, and other significant contributors must each complete the DOL Biographical Sketch (a description is available in the STRUDL Application Materials section of STRUDL: Forms) to demonstrate their qualifications to complete the proposed work.
• Applicants must be based in and access STRUDL data from the United States. Applicants may face other restrictions.
• Applicants must be individuals or groups of individuals, not organizations.
• Applicants may use DOL restricted data for general research purposes that can benefit DOL’s mission and the broader public.
• Applicants cannot use DOL restricted data that do not meet DOL’s guiding principles, such as conducting market research.
• Applicants must publicly publish their research results based on DOL restricted data.
• Any applicants who intend to access or interact with the data or statistics that have not undergone disclosure review in any way before publication clearance from DOL must be listed in the research application proposal. These individuals and groups represent their respective organizations and consequences. Violation of DOL agreements can result in applicable legal penalties, as well as suspension from accessing DOL data and systems for individuals and their organizations (see a description of the NDA in the STRUDL Application Materials section of STRUDL: Forms for further details).
• If additional project supporters are required after the project commences, then the NDA may be eligible for amendment. Members of the project should contact their restricted-use NDA administrator to add or remove any individuals from the NDA.

• Potential applicants are advised to thoroughly review the STRUDL Handbook and application materials, which requires applicants to identify relevant datasets and outline their project plans and expected timelines, among other information. The latest information and documentation can be found on STRUDL: How to Apply. For any questions about the STRUDL, potential applicants are encouraged to contact STRUDL@dol.gov.
• Upon reviewing the application materials, potential applicants should express their interest in applying by sending an email to STRUDL@dol.gov. In the email, applicants should briefly describe their proposed research idea, state the DOL data they hope to access, and indicate if they intend to use external data along with DOL data. Within 30 days, a DOL disclosure review staff member will respond to the inquiry and provide the latest version of the application materials. If the potential applicant plans to incorporate external data, DOL staff may contact other agencies to evaluate the feasibility and potential value of combining these datasets.
• Applicants should note that DOL cannot make a final determination until an applicant submits a STRUDL proposal for review.
• Once the application materials have been completed, applicants must submit the forms to STRUDL@dol.gov. Within 30 days, the DOL disclosure review staff will acknowledge receipt of the application and collaborate with other DOL personnel to assess the feasibility and disclosure risk associated with the proposed project.
• Applicants will receive one of three determinations on their application: accept, reject with resubmission, or reject. If accepted, then the applicants will go through a project onboarding process. If resubmitted, DOL will ask for additional information or revisions to the application and request a resubmission. If rejected, DOL will provide justification.

• STRUDL complies with the physical and information security requirements and protocols for accessing restricted-use microdata from relevant agencies.
• Approved researchers should ensure that they adhere to NDA requirements to safeguard data.
• DOL will conduct a thorough review of all research outputs. Some examples of research outputs include regression coefficients, moments of distributions, and other statistical inferences. The objective of the review is to assess the potential disclosure risks, such as unintentional release of PII, and to ensure the outputs are within the approved project’s scope before authorizing for publication.

• To review the data that may be available in the STRUDL, please see the Enterprise Data Inventory.
• Applicants complete a STRUDL application request and send it to STRUDL@dol.gov. Learn more about the application process on STRUDL: How to Apply and see descriptions of application materials on STRUDL: Forms.
• Approved researchers will be onboarded to DOL and may be required to go through a background check. Approved researchers will be provided with a government furnished laptop.
• The data will be accessed through DOL’s secure cloud computing platform with analytical tools such as R, Python, Stata, and SAS. All analysis will be done in the computing environment. Users may not move or disclose any data, tables, or results from this server environment until cleared by DOL.

The following is a high-level overview of the process after receiving restricted-use access. You can see descriptions of all forms referenced below in the STRUDL Disclosure Review Forms section on STRUDL: Forms.

• Approved researchers that need additional time, change project staff, change data, or update the research plan must submit a STRUDL Project Modification Request form, stating the reason for the modification. Requests are reviewed by DOL staff, who will either approve or deny modifications. If denied, approved researchers must continue their initially approved research plan and close out the project before the end of the research period.
• Requests for modifications should be submitted at least 90 days in advance of the project close. Modification requests must include rationale for the modification and include the reason the modification is needed. Modification should include a statement of the proposed benefits of the research to DOL.
• Approved researchers will update the CEO if any changes to their NDA are needed (e.g., adding or removing individuals from the NDA).
• If the NDA end date is reached and the project is not complete, approved researchers can request an extension by submitting a STRUDL Project Modification Request form.
• Once approved researchers complete the project deliverables, they should prepare a disclosure review package for any outputs intended for dissemination, such as presentations or reports.
• DOL will conduct a review of the research outputs for disclosure risks and ensure that the project was conducted in accordance with the research request and NDA.
• If the research outputs are approved, approved researchers may create the proposed dissemination materials for public release. Otherwise, the proposed outputs must be adjusted or denied for release.
• If approved researchers are uncertain about the final dissemination products, they should present examples of dissemination products they are considering, specifying the expected formats (e.g., presentations, journal publications, reports, figures, etc.).
• DOL will complete the entire disclosure reviews in 90 days.
• Upon approval, DOL staff will publish the research results on the DOL website and approved researchers can share the dissemination materials.
• At the conclusion of the project, all approved researchers must complete the close-out checklist and submit it to DOL. Failure to do so may violate the NDA and result in being barred from future access to STRUDL.
• Once the project is complete and all outputs cleared for release, DOL will end the NDA and offboard researchers, which includes actions such as returning their government furnished equipment laptops.