Data requests undergo multiple levels of review by SPARCS program staff to ensure that the application and supporting documents are complete, and to verify the following:
- Adherence to approved SPARCS regulation data uses.
- Feasibility and soundness of the proposed project.
- Credentials and qualifications of the applicant(s) for the research.
- Proposed research methodology.
- Sufficiency of security and data protection protocols.
- Appropriateness of publication and/or data dissemination plans.
- Appropriateness of data linkage plans, if applicable.
After any of the review steps detailed below, you may receive a list of questions and requested revisions from the SPARCS program. This iterative review process ensures that each request aligns with applicable laws, regulations, and SPARCS program policies, and contains sufficient information to make an informed decision regarding approval.
The application lifecycle is detailed below.
- Completeness review: This stage ensures that you have fully completed all documentation pertaining to your application.
- Content Review: This review assesses your requested data and its alignment to SPARCS standards.
- Security Review: A review to verify appropriate data housing and linkage plans.
- Research Scientist Review: Review for study feasibility and appropriateness of data requested. Including whether the research can be completed without PHI/PII.
- Data Governance Committee (DGC) Review (Identifiable Request Only): Identifiable data file requests must be approved by the SPARCS DGC. For more information, read What happens at a Data Governance Committee (DGC) meeting?.
- Invoicing Upon approval of your request, the SPARCS program will provide you with a letter detailing the data files and years approved, the approval expiration date, and an invoice for the data extract. You must pay the invoice in full before the fulfillment process can begin. For more information, see How do I pay for SPARCS data?
- Fulfillment: After the invoice is paid in full, the data extraction process can take up to 30 business days for our vendor to complete. Once the SPARCS team receives the data extract, we will send you instructions for receiving the data via Aspera - an IBM secure, high-speed file transfer tool.