Data Submission Overview
This page reviews the background information needed to submit data, and an overview of the steps to complete the process.
The major steps in the data submission process are as follows:
For details on each data submission step, please see: Data Submission Quick Reference Guide
Data Submission is a step in the overall process of data curation and sharing in ImmPort. The goal of submitting data through ImmPort is to publicly share the data and help advance scientific discovery in the immunology research community.
For additional questions on Data Submission, please contact the ImmPort team: ImmPort_Helpdesk@immport.org
What is an ImmPort Study?
A study is a collection of data generated based on a research or clinical study protocol. A study may be focused on data referenced in a manuscript and should be sufficient for the data consumer to fully understand the conclusions presented in the manuscript and conduct a reanalysis.
ImmPort currently hosts studies across various immunology-related research focuses and assay methods. For a breakdown of the types of studies currently shared in ImmPort, please explore our Shared Data site: ImmPort Shared Data
How is ImmPort Data Stored?
ImmPort data and metadata is shared in a relational database model. Our current data model can be viewed here: Data Model
Each node in the diagram represents a data table. Each “study” loaded in ImmPort has one “study” table associated with it, and from that table, multiple other data tables can be linked to the original study table. Many templates in ImmPort also contain terms from standardized ontologies in the clinical and research fields.
To load data in ImmPort, blank Excel templates of the tables in the data model are filled out by data providers and submitted as tabular(.txt) files. Individual templates are comprised of the same data fields found in the data model.Templates and descriptions of the templates are available for download here: Submission Templates
What Format of Data is Required?
The ImmPort templates are completed in row-based entries in Excel tables and submitted as tabular(.txt) files. The templates may also be completed as .txt files, however the user-friendly excel templates are recommended for new users. The Basic Study Design Template is also available to be completed in an online form-based interface.
Results data for ELISA, ELISPOT, HAI, Neutralizing Antibody Titer, RT-PCR, Flow Cytometry, HLA, KIR, Gene Expression, RNA Sequencing, Genotyping, MBAA, and non-sample based assessments are recommended to be uploaded using ImmPort templates, but may also be uploaded as non-ImmPort template files.
Other study types, including Mass Spectrometry and Image Histology, require a non-ImmPort template results file to be uploaded. ImmPort supports uploading common file types such as .pdf, .doc(x), .xls(x), .txt, as well as scientific file types such as .fcs files. For additional questions on supported file types please contact the ImmPort team: ImmPort_Helpdesk@immport.org
If your study’s data is currently shared in another repository, you can still create a study in ImmPort without duplicating the data from the other repository. ImmPort allows you to upload metadata in the ImmPort format and then link the results data from the other repository via a URL field in the ImmPort templates.
How much data should be uploaded to ImmPort?
The data and metadata shared should align with the NIH’s FAIR policy for making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (NIH FAIR Data Sharing Policy). Overall, the contents of the data and metadata shared should be sufficient to fully understand the results of the linked publication.