Requesting access

Overview

As you explore Redivis, you will likely encounter restricted datasets that require approval before you can access their data. Data owners are provided broad flexibility in how they can configure dataset access — some datasets may be completely public, others might be hidden for almost everybody, and others will have a gradation of controls for different levels of access.

Redivis aims to make it easy for administrators to make their data as open as possible, while making it the access application process transparent and straightforward for researchers.

Viewing access steps

Your current access level to any given dataset will be displayed prominently wherever you interact with the dataset, whether in search results, your workflows, or on the dataset's page. If you don't currently have data access, navigate to the dataset page and click the Apply for access button.

Datasets owners have wide flexibility in how they can configure their dataset access controls, with the ability to mix various access paradigms across different access levels. However, when you begin the access application process, you will be provided with a clear series of steps necessary to gain each level of access. Note that you will need to access levels are cumulative — e.g., you will need to be approved for metadata access in order to gain data access, etc.

On this particular dataset, we need to request direct access to view metadata, fulfill a DUA requirement to gain access to the 1% sample, and be on a study with an approved "IRB Approval" requirement to gain access to the complete data. Other datasets will likely look different, and can even have multiple requirements for each access level.

Applying for membership

To apply for access to datasets hosted by a Redivis organization, you will first need to become a member of the organization.

In becoming a member of the organization, you will need to provide authentication information about your institutional affiliation — it is through these credentials that you will be able to access restricted datasets within the organization. The organization will also be able to see certain public information from your Redivis account, including your name, ORCID iD, and link to publications, which can be configured in your workspace settings.

Depending on the organization's configuration, your membership application will either be auto-approved or sent to an administrator for approval (you will receive an email as soon as an administrator has responded).

Applying for direct access

Direct access is the simplest access paradigm, and the only option available for datasets owned by a user (as opposed to an organization). To request direct access at a particular level, simply click Request and an administrator / owner of that dataset will respond to your request.

Member requirement approval

Member requirements must be approved once for the context of your relationship with an organization. Data administrators can create requirements with various types of form inputs to collect information about your access application — for example, whether you've completed the relevant trainings, or meet the institutional qualifications to work with the dataset. These requirements can also be set to auto-expire after a period of time (e.g., to re-up your training credentials).

To apply for a requirement, click the Apply button and fill out the fields in the requirement. When you submit the requirement, it will either be auto-approved or sent to an administrator for approval, depending on its configuration.

Study requirement approval

Some requirements are fulfilled on behalf of a study, rather than by each individual member of an organization. This allows data administrators to collect information only once for a particular research effort — for example, to gather information about grant funding or IRB approval.

In order to apply for a requirement on behalf of a study, you must first select the study with which you want to apply. You can also create a new study, or if your collaborators already have study, you should ask them to add you to their study.

Once you have selected your study, you can apply for any study requirements just as you would for member requirements.

Notifications

As soon as you submit your access request, an alert will appear for all administrators of that dataset's organization (if the dataset is owned by a user, an alert will appear on their workspace). If email alerts have been configured, the data owner(s) will also receive an email notification.

As soon as someone responds to your request (e.g., approves, rejects, or comments on it), you will receive a notification on Redivis. You will also receive notifications whenever an approval is about to expire or when an approval is revoked.

By default, you will also receive email alerts for these notifications at your primary email address, though these notifications can be turned off in your workspace settings.