The Stanley Milgram Papers: A Case Study on Appraisal of and Access to Confidential Data Files

Decisions regarding the appraisal of confidential records, as well as the establishment of access policies for researchers, are difficult questions that archives must occasionally confront. In such situations, it is necessary to balance the confidentiality and privacy rights of the subjects of the records with the needs of serious researchers. This case study describes one institution's attempt to appraise the confidential data files from a landmark experiment in social psychology. The article further considers ways to protect the privacy of the experiment's subjects while still making the information in the data files available for research.