A major practical issue in collecting and releasing updated cross-national and cross-time data sets such as those collected by the Correlates of War project has been the amount of resources needed to simultaneously maintain a large number of data sets.  As a result, COW 2 has implemented a distributed system of data set hosting based on the notion of "coordinated decentralization."  The goal is for each major COW 2 data set to obtain a semi-permanent “home” and “host,” that is, an institution and an individual who will agree to maintain a data set and the related documentation for a period of time.  The "foster care" given to a data set by its host will follow a set of guidelines designed to ensure continued consistency with COW standards.  We believe that this system will enable faster data updating and version releases over time, compared to a centralized system in which funding must continually be sought by the central COW organization.  It will also allow cumulation and continued data development in the field of international relations.

 There are several guidelines for the adoption of a data set by an institution:

1. The host of a COW data set will take responsibility for revising and routinely updating the data set, documentation, and related archival material in his or her care for a period of at least 3 years. The host will keep track of reported errors and questions, and will release new revised versions at regular intervals, typically every six months if minor errors are discovered and corrected.

2. Data set hosts must be experienced with the collection of quantitative data sets, and should have experience with the data set in question.  Sufficient institutional resources should be available to support the hosting, possibly including relevant computer resources, research support, or (especially in the case of junior faculty) assurance that proper credit will be given to the host.

3. The host agrees to comply with standards set by the COW project with respect to data collection procedures, coding rules, structure and format of the data set, and documentation procedures.  These standards are described here.

4. The host agrees to serve as the primary contact person and deal with substantive questions concerning the data set (i.e., the host's email address will be listed on the COW web site as the person to contact with data set questions).

5. COW data sets will be released only through the COW website (not by individual hosts), and only after the data is final.  The host agrees to distribute the data set and documentation as a COW data set only through the COW web site, and only after the data and documentation have been reviewed by the COW project and a version number assigned.  Procedures for data set review are described here.  The purpose of this rule is to avoid a proliferation of partial, unofficial, or inconsistent data sets through the research community.

6. The host agrees not to publish any analytical results based on the resulting updated COW data set before the data are officially released by the COW project.  Exceptions may be made for descriptive papers at conferences and dissertation theses, but it must be noted that such results represent analysis based on work in progress and of possibly incomplete data sets, and cannot be said to use official COW data.  The purpose of this rule is to avoid a proliferation of non-replicable or frequently-revised results through the research community.

7. When a major revision or update of a data set is complete, the host agrees to compose and publish an "article of record" concerning the new data set (for instance, in the journal Conflict Management and Peace Science).  We expect all scholars who use the resulting data set to cite this article of record and to clearly state the data set version used for analysis. 

8. When a data set host is not also on the COW advisory board, a member of the board will be appointed to serve as liaison between the host and the larger advisory board and COW community. The board member will be familiar with the data set(s) assigned, and in general will serve to facilitate the development and release of the data set(s) in question. More specifically, the liaison provides 1) a point of contact for data set hosts to the advisory board, 2) a point person to work with the data set host (and other interested parties) on resolving questions and issues concerning the data set (including coding issues) that come up, and 3) oversight of the host to ensure timely data set updating and correction of discovered errors.

Related Documents

• Standards for data set hosting
• Hosted data set review procedures

Current Data Hosts

• International Alliances:  Doug Gibler, University of Alabama
• Intergovernmental Organizations:  Timothy Nordstrom, University of Mississippi; John Pevehouse, University of Wisconsin
• Territorial Change:  Paul Diehl, University of Illinois
• Direct and Colonial Contiguity:  Paul Hensel, Florida State University
• Interstate and Extrastate War: Meredith Sarkees, Saint Mary's University; Frank Wayman, University of Michigan-Dearborn
• Intrastate War: Jeff Dixon, Wright State University; Meredith Sarkees, Saint Mary's University
• Culture: Errol Henderson, Penn State University
• Militarized Disputes: Glenn Palmer, Penn State University
• National Material Capabilities Data: Michael Greig, University of North Texas; Andrew Enterline, University of North Texas
• Diplomatic Data: Resat Bayer, Koc University
• System Membership and Geopolitical Units: Volker Krause, Eastern Michigan University; Phil Schafer, University of Michigan; Karen Ruth Adams, University of Montana
• Trade: Katherine Barbieri, University of South Carolina; Omar Keshk, The Ohio State University; Brian Pollins, The Ohio State University

Advisory Board / Host Liaisons

• International Alliances:  Sara McLaughlin Mitchell, University of Iowa
• Intergovernmental Organizations:  Brian Pollins, The Ohio State University
• System Membership:  Paul Diehl, University of Illinois
• Geopolitical Units:  Paul Diehl, University of Illinois
• Interstate, Intrastate, and Extrastate War: Paul Hensel, Florida State University
• Culture: Sara McLaughlin Mitchell, University of Iowa
• Militarized Disputes: Brian Pollins, The Ohio State University