Getting Started
Welcome to the AD Knowledge Portal docs site!
This site exists to help orient you to the portal and use it with ease to make the most of your experience.
What’s here for you?
Read about the background of the portal and how it fits into the bigger data-sharing picture
Get familiar with the basic structure and components of the portal and how data is stored
Refer to the glossary if you come across a term you’re unsure of
Discover how to contribute data, if that’s what you’re here for
What do you need to get started?
So, before you dive in, here’s a breakdown of what you need to get started using the portal:
Exploring data
Thanks to the open science principles that the portal is built on, anyone can browse its content! Nothing needed to explore—just go right ahead (and remember to use this site for help).
Downloading data
If you want to download data, you will need to register for a Synapse account and, in doing so, agree to the Synapse Terms and Conditions of Use.
Synapse is the backend and datastore of the AD Knowledge Portal. You can read more about Synapse here.
Some data on the portal is controlled access data and requires an additional submission of a Data Use Certificate (DUC). We typically try to complete the review within a week, but it’s most efficient if you submit the certificate as soon as possible.
Find more detailed information on data access here.
Using data
Data on the portal is available for General Research Use (GRU), with no embargo on publications. If you plan to use any data downloaded from the portal in any publications, whether it is open access data or controlled access data, you must include an official acknowledgement of the data contributors. Learn how to find and use pre-written acknowledgement statements here.
Contributing data
Data on the portal is contributed though grants, which are funded by several NIA-supported programs.
But, if you have data, analyses, or tools that may benefit Alzheimer’s disease research, you may be eligible to become a community contributor and have your resources hosted in the AD Knowledge Portal. You must apply, and contributions will be evaluated based on relevance to Alzheimer’s disease, complementarity to existing data, and unmet needs.