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All Outputs (25)

Towards a comprehensive theory and practice of output SDC (2023)
Presentation / Conference
Derrick, B., Green, E., Ritchie, F., & White, P. (2023, September). Towards a comprehensive theory and practice of output SDC. Paper presented at UNECE/Eurostat Expert Group on Statisticial Data Confidentiality, Wiesbaden

In 2000, the statistical disclosure control of outputs (OSDC) was largely limited to models of table protection developed by and intended for national statistical institutes (NSIs), as a particular branch of general SDC theory. However, in this centu... Read More about Towards a comprehensive theory and practice of output SDC.

SACRO: Semi-Automated Checking Of Research Outputs (2023)
Presentation / Conference
Smith, J., Preen, R., Albashir, M., Ritchie, F., Green, E., Davy, S., …Bacon, S. (2023, September). SACRO: Semi-Automated Checking Of Research Outputs. Paper presented at UNECE Expert meeting on Statistical Data Confidentiality, Wiesbaden, Germany

Output checking can require significant resources, acting as a barrier to scaling up the research use of confidential data. We report on a project, SACRO, that is developing a general-purpose, semi-automatic output checking systems that works across... Read More about SACRO: Semi-Automated Checking Of Research Outputs.

Research data governance in low- and middle-income countries (2023)
Presentation / Conference
Ferrer Breda, P., Green, E., & Ritchie, F. (2023, September). Research data governance in low- and middle-income countries. Paper presented at UNECE/Eurostat Expert Group on Statisticial Data Confidentiality, Wiesbaden

Research and policy development on the governance of confidential research data is dominated by the work of academics and government agencies based in high-income countries (HICs). This leaves three quarters of the world’s population faced with a cor... Read More about Research data governance in low- and middle-income countries.

Disclosure control issues in complex medical data (2023)
Presentation / Conference
Green, E., Ritchie, F., Smith, J., Western, D., & White, P. (2023, September). Disclosure control issues in complex medical data. Paper presented at UNECE/Eurostat Expert Group on Statisticial Data Confidentiality, Wiesbaden

The covid19 pandemic assisted the acceleration of routine access to medical records for research. In the UK platforms including OpenSafely and NHSDigital, alongside emerging hospital trust based Trusted Research Environments (TREs), demonstrate the u... Read More about Disclosure control issues in complex medical data.

Frameworks, principles, and accreditation: Making data governance work (2022)
Presentation / Conference
Ritchie, F. (2022, November). Frameworks, principles, and accreditation: Making data governance work. Presented at RSS Data Ethics and Governance – origins, progress and priorities, London

Presentation to the Royal Statistical Society Data Ethics Section, covering the origins and development of the Five Safes, the EDRU approach to problems-solving, principles-based regulation, and how these all need to work together to achieve effectiv... Read More about Frameworks, principles, and accreditation: Making data governance work.

Safety in numbers: Minimum thresholding, Maximum bounds and Little White Lies : The case of the mean and standard deviation (2022)
Presentation / Conference
Derrick, B., Green, E., Kember, K., Ritchie, F., & White, P. (2022, April). Safety in numbers: Minimum thresholding, Maximum bounds and Little White Lies : The case of the mean and standard deviation. Paper presented at Scottish Economic Society, Glasgow

Reporting the sample mean, sample standard deviation and sample size could in some cases lead to the unique identification of the underpinning sample. The likelihood of this reveal via direct enumeration of the possible search space decreases with i... Read More about Safety in numbers: Minimum thresholding, Maximum bounds and Little White Lies : The case of the mean and standard deviation.

Disclosure risks in odds ratios and logistic regression (2022)
Presentation / Conference
Derrick, B., Green, E., Ritchie, F., & White, P. (2022, April). Disclosure risks in odds ratios and logistic regression. Paper presented at Scottish Economic Society Annual Conference 2022: Special session 'Protecting confidentiality in social science research outputs', Glasgow

When publishing statistics from confidential data, there exists a risk that the statistic might inadvertently reveal confidential information. Statistical disclosure control (SDC) aims to reduce that risk to an acceptable level. Most SDC theory is co... Read More about Disclosure risks in odds ratios and logistic regression.

The present and future of confidential microdata access: Post-workshop report (2021)
Presentation / Conference
Green, E., Ritchie, F., Tava, F., Ashford, W., & Ferrer Breda, P. (2021, July). The present and future of confidential microdata access: Post-workshop report. Presented at The Present and Future of Microdata Access

In the summer of 2021, the University of the West of England, in collaboration with UN Economic Commission for Europe, Eurostat, INXEDA and statistical organisations across the world, hosted a workshop to review lessons learnt in microdata access ove... Read More about The present and future of confidential microdata access: Post-workshop report.

The present and future of confidential microdata access [draft] (2021)
Presentation / Conference
Green, E., & Ritchie, F. (2021, July). The present and future of confidential microdata access [draft]. Presented at The Present and Future of Microdata Access

This briefing document was prepared for the DRAGoN conference 'The Present and Future of Microdata Access', 5th-9th July 2021. It provides an introduction to the topics to be covered in the conference.

Sequential mixed methods research: Non-compliance in apprentice pay with owls (2021)
Presentation / Conference
Drew, H., & Ritchie, F. (2021, June). Sequential mixed methods research: Non-compliance in apprentice pay with owls. Paper presented at 20th European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies, University of Aveiro, Portugal

Within mixed methods literature, the relationship between qualitative and quantitative data collection is ubiquitously presented as sequential. Thus, the most followed approach is for the first stage of data collection to follow the second, or to run... Read More about Sequential mixed methods research: Non-compliance in apprentice pay with owls.

10 is the safest number that there’s ever been (2019)
Presentation / Conference
Ritchie, F. (2019, October). 10 is the safest number that there’s ever been. Paper presented at Workshop on statistical data confidentiality 2019, The Hague

When checking frequency and magnitude tables for disclosure risk, the cell threshold (the minimum number of observations in each cell) is the crucial statistic. In rules-based environments, this is a hard limit on what can or can’t be published. In p... Read More about 10 is the safest number that there’s ever been.

Evidence-based, default-open, risk-managed, user-centred data access (2018)
Presentation / Conference
Ritchie, F., Hafner, H., Lenz, R., & Welpton, R. (2018, October). Evidence-based, default-open, risk-managed, user-centred data access. Paper presented at Conference of European Statistics Stakeholders, Bamberg

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand from the academic community for more access to confidential data for research purposes, particularly that data collected by government departments. This has happened for three reasons. First, both... Read More about Evidence-based, default-open, risk-managed, user-centred data access.

Open data: Who needs it? (2017)
Presentation / Conference
Ritchie, F. (2017, September). Open data: Who needs it?. Presented at UNECE/Eurostat work session on statistical data confidentiality - 2017, Skopje, FYR Macedonia

This presentation, to introduce and stimulate a panel discussion, argued that we have 50 years worth of experience in knowing how to use data safely for researcher; as such we should be concentrating on practical management problems not theory: "how-... Read More about Open data: Who needs it?.

Lessons learned in training ‘safe users’ of confidential data (2017)
Presentation / Conference
Ritchie, F., Green, E., Newman, J., & Parker, T. (2017, September). Lessons learned in training ‘safe users’ of confidential data. Paper presented at UNECE/Eurostat work session on statistical data confidentiality - 2017, Skopje, FYR Macedonia

Many statistical organisations require researchers using detailed sensitive data to undergo ‘safe researcher’ training. Such training has traditionally reflected the ‘policing’ model of data protection. This mirrors the defensive stance often adopted... Read More about Lessons learned in training ‘safe users’ of confidential data.

The "Five Safes": A framework for planning, designing and evaluating data access solutions (2017)
Presentation / Conference
Ritchie, F. (2017, September). The "Five Safes": A framework for planning, designing and evaluating data access solutions. Paper presented at Data for Policy 2017, London, UK

The ‘Five Safes’ is a popular way to structure thinking about data access solutions. Originally used mainly by statistical agencies and social science academics , in recent years it has been adopted more widely across government, health organisations... Read More about The "Five Safes": A framework for planning, designing and evaluating data access solutions.

Improving data quality: The value of the user as data detective (2016)
Presentation / Conference
Ritchie, F. (2016, October). Improving data quality: The value of the user as data detective. Presented at Conference of European Statistics Stakeholders, Budapest, Hungary

In this presentation, we explore how users can contribute to a better understanding of data quality. We illustrate, with reference to minimum wage compliance, how users identify the sort of data problems missed by NSIs

Evidence-based, context-sensitive, user-centred, risk-managed SDC planning: Designing data access solutions for scientific use (2015)
Presentation / Conference
Hafner, H., Lenz, R., Ritchie, F., & Welpton, R. (2015, October). Evidence-based, context-sensitive, user-centred, risk-managed SDC planning: Designing data access solutions for scientific use. Paper presented at UNECE/Eurostat work session on statistical data confidentiality - 2015, Helsinki, Finland

Disclosure control planning is characterised by over-reliance on theoretical models, inappropriate disclosure scenarios, worst-case planning, confusion over subjective versus objective risk management, and an unwillingness to consider the evidence ba... Read More about Evidence-based, context-sensitive, user-centred, risk-managed SDC planning: Designing data access solutions for scientific use.