Releasing synthetic data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)

Releasing synthetic data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) generates and releases synthetic datasets based on ALSPAC data to facilitate transparent and reproducible research while preserving participant anonymity.

Key Features:

• Synthetic data generation: Uses the 'synthpop' package in R to synthesise datasets modelled on original ALSPAC data.
• Variable fidelity preservation: Maintains variable distributions and relations among variables, including missing data, as closely as possible to the original data.
• Anonymity preservation: Preserves participant anonymity and confidentiality while enabling open data release.
• Guidelines for researchers: Provides a list of guidelines for researchers wishing to release synthesised ALSPAC data.

Scientific Applications:

• Transparent and reproducible research: Facilitates open data availability to support emerging best scientific practices for transparency and reproducibility.
• Educational tool for longitudinal modelling: Serves as a resource for teaching longitudinal modelling methods and approaches to modelling missing data.

Methodology:

The approach uses the 'synthpop' package in the R statistical programming language to synthesise ALSPAC data, with applied examples demonstrating the implementation.