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Cited by 357

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 52 of the 52 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Challenges in administrative data linkage for research

Open access
Harron, Katie, Dibben, Chris, Boyd, James, Hjern, Anders, Azimaee, Mahmoud, Barreto, Mauricio L, Goldstein, Harvey·2017·Big Data & Society

Abstract

Linkage of population-based administrative data is a valuable tool for combining detailed individual-level information from different sources for research. While not a substitute for classical studies based on primary data collection, analyses of linked administrative data can answer questions that require large sample sizes or detailed data on hard-to-reach populations, and generate evidence with a high level of external validity and applicability for policy making. There are unique challenges in the appropriate research use of linked administrative data, for example with respect to bias from linkage errors where records cannot be linked or are linked together incorrectly. For confidentiality and other reasons, the separation of data linkage processes and analysis of linked data is generally regarded as best practice. However, the 'black box' of data linkage can make it difficult for researchers to judge the reliability of the resulting linked data for their required purposes. This article aims to provide an overview of challenges in linking administrative data for research. We aim to increase understanding of the implications of (i) the data linkage environment and privacy preservation; (ii) the linkage process itself (including data preparation, and deterministic and probabilistic linkage methods) and (iii) linkage quality and potential bias in linked data. We draw on examples from a number of countries to illustrate a range of approaches for data linkage in different contexts.

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Metadata

Authors
Harron, K., Dibben, C., Boyd, J., Hjern, A., Azimaee, M., Barreto, M. L., & Goldstein, H.
Venue
Big Data & Society
Published
2017-12
Volume
4
Issue
2
Pages
205395171774567
ISSN
2053-9517 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2775078427
Cited by
357
References
52
FWCI
18.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
gold

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Challenges in administrative data linkage for research. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1177/2053951717745678
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Harron, K., Dibben, C., Boyd, J., Hjern, A., Azimaee, M., Barreto, M. L., & Goldstein, H. (2017). Challenges in administrative data linkage for research. Big Data & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951717745678

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Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.