The papers of R. Welling Roskelley comprise the personal and professional papers from Dr. Roskelley's long service as a professor of rural sociology and as an active participant in agricultural extension and international rural development. The collection has been divided in to four series for ease in organization. The first series (Boxes 1-10) contains personal and family files. This includes biographical data, personal correspondence, and journals of Dr. Roskelley. Box 2 contains a collection of "quote journals" that Dr. Roskelley and his father kept over the years in which they collected famous and inspirational quotes. Box 3 contains items from the Roskelley Family Association and the Roskelley family newsletter, the Roskelley Organ. Boxes 5 and 6 contain family files for Dr. Roskelley's father, Richard Roskelley, and his grandfather, Samuel Roskelley. These include biographies, newspaper clippings, and genealogical files. Box 6 contains deed and religious blessings from the early twentieth century in Smithfield, Utah, as well as property deeds and mortgages from farmers in early Smithfield. Boxes 7, 8, and 9 contain personal correspondence organized by the correspondent. Box 9 contains correspondence between Dr. Roskelley and his wife during the periods he worked overseas, as well as some outgoing correspondence organized by date. Box 10, the final box of personal files contains items related to Dr. Roskelley's activities in the LDS Church, including programs for special events, the papers of a records program he helped initiate while serving as an ecclesiastical leader, and some of the files from his son's (Gene Richard's) LDS missionary service to Hong Kong in the 1950s.

Series II (Boxes 11-31) comprises the professional papers of Dr. Roskelley as well as a collection of publications from organizations with which he was intimately involved, such as the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction and the Rockefeller Foundation. Box 11 relates to two studies he conducted for the Women's Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Box 12 contains syllabi and lecture notes from Dr. Roskelley's time as a college professor. Boxes 13 through 20 contain the professional writings of Dr. Roskelley. The first three contain individual articles alphabetized by title. Box 16 contains an untitled manuscript simply labeled by Dr. Roskelley as Documents I through VII. Some of the titles of this particular box are the same as those in the alphabetized collection, but since they comprise a separate, organized book, they have been repeated here. Box 17 contains one draft and the final of Dr. Roskelley's master's thesis on the LDS missionary system. Boxes 18 and 19 contain research files and surveys from his doctorate thesis and Box 20 contains drafts and the final of his thesis which analyzed the beliefs and behaviors of the LDS residents of Rigby, Idaho in regards to alcohol use and prohibition.

Boxes 21 through 29 contain papers related to and publications from various international rural and agricultural organizations such as USAID, the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction, El Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT), and USU Extension programs. Box 22, which contains USAID publications, also has several articles, comprising folders 7 through 17, written by Dr. Roskelley. They were placed in this section because they were written for and published by USAID. Some of them have redundant copies in boxes 13 through 15 above. Of special note is Box 26, which relates to USU and its work with Iran during the 1950s when Dr. Roskelley was working there. This includes memoirs of the work by Dr. Roskelley, reports, pamphlets, and copies of the founding papers of the Karaj Agricultural College, which USU helped to establish. Box 29 contains papers concerning various organizations, particularly those from Central America. Box 30 and 31 contain records and notes from the many Keys Seminars for international rural development hosted by Utah State Universityand sponsored by USAID during the 1970s and 1980s.

Series III (Boxes 32-40) contains documentation from the Farmer Scholar Program in which Dr. Roskelley participated during the 1970s and 1980s. Box 32 contains chapter outline notes as well as some transcripts from the audiotapes produced for the program. Box 33 to Box 36 are the chapter-by-chapter research files. They do not match exactly with the chapters in the final publication (which is available in Special Collection and Archives book collection) because he reorganized and renamed them. However, the labeling and organization of his research notes has been maintained here. Box 37 contains the original draft of the Farmer Scholar Program Documentation Volumes I through III. Box 38 has the English translations of the transcripts for the audiotapes. Boxes 39 and 40 contain presentations, memoirs, and specific reports from the implementation of the Farmer Scholar Program in the Philippines and in Central America.

The final Series (Boxes 41-49) contains general sociological research files covering the main areas in which Dr. Roskelley specialized: rural sociology, institution building, and rural development. The have been organized by topic and title. Finally, the collection has two boxes, which contain plaques and scrapbooks from Dr. Roskelley's overseas work, including the document that proclaimed him an adopted son of the Philippines.