Access SHARC Data

SHARC Concepts System: How to Use The Concepts System to Access Data for SHARC Research Projects

What is the SHARC Concepts System?

The SHARC Concepts System provides investigators the opportunity to seek and be granted approval to access and analyze datasets from research projects conducted by members of the Southern HIV and Alcohol Research Consortium.

Currently, datasets can be requested from the following projects:

Upon receipt of your Concept submission, a Concept Review Committee comprised of SHARC Core and Affiliate Faculty and PIs for the project site(s) from which data is being requested will review your proposed study. If the project is approved,  you will receive access to the data variables you have requested.

SHARC Faculty who participated in the review of your proposal may request to join the Writing Group for your project. All outcomes and research findings that result in conference presentations or abstracts and/or peer reviewed publications are tracked.

To receive access to these datasets, prospective investigators must complete the SHARC Concept Submission Process as outlined below.

For SHARC Concepts System Policies and Procedures, click here.

What is a Concept?

A Concept consists of one or more specific research questions with defined aims supported by a fully-developed research plan and data analysis plan.

Concepts can be submitted to request approval for analysis of existing data, or to conduct an ancillary project to ongoing data collection (add new data collection or modify an existing project).

What is a Pre-Concept?

A Preliminary (Pre)-Concept enables the prospective Concept Investigator to claim a potential research project in terms of key variables even while the research question(s) and study parameters are still under development.

Pre-Concepts can be approved for a six month period after which the Concept Investigator is requested to transform the Pre-Concept into a formal Concept submission for review or relinquish the Pre-Concept entirely so that it becomes available for another prospective Concept Investigator to take up.

Pre-Concepts are available to SHARC Core Faculty or those working closely with a SHARC Core Faculty member.

What is a Revised Concept?

A Concept Review Committee, comprised of SHARC Core and Affiliate Faculty and PIs for the project site(s) from which data is being requested, reviews each Concept submission. In the event that the Committee determines that the proposed research plan or data analysis plan is insufficient or that the submitted Concept overlaps too closely with an existing SHARC Concept, the Committee may request that the prospective Concept Investigator submit a revision, a Revised Concept, to be reviewed again. 

What is a Merged Concept?

A Merged Concept is a research plan that requests data variables from two or more distinct SHARC projects.

Concept Submission Process

Step 1: Submission Form

View this presentation for an overview of the Concepts process and examples of productive Concepts.

Complete and submit the Concept Submission Form.

For the Concept Research Plan template, click here.

Step 2: Review Process

Upon receipt of your Concept submission, the SHARC Concept Review Committee will review your proposed study. Committee members have 14 days to return review with feedback. To facilitate the concept review process, the concept investigator may be invited to the concept meeting to present the concept study plan and get feedback from the Concept Review Committee during the meeting.

Approval: If the project is viable and does not overlap with an existing SHARC Concept and if the data is available to support the study, you will receive approval to access the data variables you have requested. SHARC Faculty who have participated in the review of your proposal may request to join the Writing Group for your project.

If approved, our Concepts Administrator will send the Investigator and Co-Investigators an approval letter. 

Revisions Required: If the Review Committee recommends revisions, the Concept Investigator and Co-Investigators will have 14 days to upload a new submission form by visiting the Concept Submission Form and selecting “Revision”.

Step 3: Requirements for Accessing the data

Depending on the dataset requested, appropriate IRB approval is required and concept Investigator(s) may be required to complete specific trainings including University of Florida trainings as well as those related to IRB approvals.

Second, Concept Investigator(s) must complete and sign a SHARC Data Use Agreement (DUA) and/or a Department of Health Data Use Agreement (DOH DUA) that outlines specific rules and responsibilities related to appropriate uses of the data.

The concept datasets will only included the variables requested on the approved Concept Submission form. Please contact Data Manager Alex Li (yanchengli@ufl.edu) to coordinate a time to develop a set of specific variables relevant to your research question. All analyses associated with this Concept must be pre-specified in the “Approach” section of your SHARC Concept Research Plan Form.

Please note: Before the Concept Investigator(s) can access the SHARC data, all requested forms must be signed and returned.

For the SHARC Data Use Agreement template, click here.

Step 4: Concept Begins

Begin working on your Concept! Our Concepts Team will share the data with you for analysis and will also encourage you to work closely with the SHARC Working Groups available to you including a Writing Group and a Neurocognitive working groups

Please reference your Concept Approval letter for contact emails of your Concept Writing Group members and any additional resources suggested to you by the Concept Review Committee.

Step 5: Progress Reports

At the beginning of each semester (January, May, August), our Concepts Administrator will reach out via email to request Progress Reports for your Concept.

All outcomes and research findings that result in conference presentations or abstracts and/or peer-reviewed publications are tracked.

Step 6: Abstracts, Manuscripts, and Publications

When you begin to prepare an abstract and/or manuscript for publication, please contact your SHARC Faculty Mentor and Writing Group for approval.

Following your receipt of approval from your SHARC Faculty Mentor and Writing Group, please complete and submit the SHARC Abstract, Presentation, and Publication Form for review by the SHARC Concepts Executive Committee before submitting your abstract/manuscript document to the selected conference/journal.

Abstract/Manuscript Submission: Please ensure that you have included the appropriately assigned co-authors, SHARC acknowledgement and grant number. The SHARC acknowledgement and grant number is available in Appendix B of the SHARC Concepts System Policies and Procedures.   

Publication Submission: Following conference/journal submission, please use the same SHARC Abstract, Presentation, and Publication Form to provide an update when your abstract/presentation/paper has been accepted. Upon acceptance of a manuscript to a journal, please submit the PubMed Central (PMCID)/NIHMS number(s) and DOI number through this form.

The Concept Administrator will respond within 5 business days of receiving your request to submit an abstract, presentation, or manuscript. If you do not receive feedback within that timeframe, you may email the Concept Administrator at: sharcconcepts@phhp.ufl.edu