UK Data Service essentials: Introduction, finding and accessing data

A practical overview of the UK Data Service including guidance on searching and accessing data.

This interactive session is ideal for anyone interested in social research and keen to explore the wide range of resources offered by the UK Data Service (UKDS). Whether you are a new user looking to kickstart your UKDS journey, or an existing user eager to make the most of our services, this workshop is designed to support you.

In the first part of the session, we will provide a comprehensive introduction to the UK Data Service, covering the key services, training, and support opportunities available to help you get the most out of our data resources.

In the second part, we will explore our newly updated data catalogue and demonstrate how our tools can help you find the data you need for your research. We will also explain the different access levels to you and guide you through the steps required to access datasets, depending on their confidentiality and sensitivity.

Our aim is to help both new and existing users build confidence in discovering and accessing data. The session will include live demonstrations, interactive elements, and time for questions at the end.

Meet our presenters:

Anna Woodfield: “Hello! I’m Anna and I’m a Data Access and Use Assistant within the Access team at the UK Data Service. I have not hailed from a data background, but I am really enjoying working in a data environment now, helping researchers to access the quality data we hold within our catalogue. I love seeing the impact of the efforts our team undertakes”.

Siôn Clarke: Siôn is a Data Access and Use Assistant working for the UK Data Service’s Access Team. He has worked at the UK Data Archive since April 2024. He is here to help you with your applications and making sure you get on the right track to finding data.

Level: Introductory

Experience/knowledge required: None

Target audience: Researchers/anyone interested in finding out what UKDS has to offer and how to search and find data in the UKDS Data Catalogue

This event will be livestreamed on our UK Data Service YouTube channel but the chat will be disabled. By registering and attending the Zoom event you will be able to ask questions and interact.

Recordings of UK Data Service events are made available on our YouTube channel and, together with the slides, on our past events pages soon after the event has taken place.

This event is part of our UK Data Service introductory training series: Autumn 2025.