We’ve put together this checklist for you as a resource to ensure you’ve completed all the necessary steps involved in contributing data to the portal. Detailed instructions and information can be found here—this checklist is just an extra tool to keep you on track.
Here are the five phases to be aware of:
Initial Award Phase → Data Generation Phase → Project Completion (Under Embargo) Phase → Data Publication Prep Phase → Post-Publication Phase
Initial Award Phase
Congrats! During this phase, Sage and the funding agency will work with you completing a data sharing plan and setting up your Synapse project workspace.
Get Started
✅ Register for a Synapse account
✅ Pass certification quiz (required to upload data)
✅ Add your ORCID iD to your profile (this is found in account settings and recommended)
✅ Complete Your Data Sharing Plan (DSP)
If you are funded by NTAP, GFF, or CTF, you will receive a pre-filled DSP from your funder or the Sage team. See example DSP.
The data sharing plan collects details such as anticipated types of data, estimated number of samples, expected data upload dates, data access and licensing requirements, indication of whether the submission includes human data.
Important: Please be aware that not completing the data sharing plan can lead to delays in funding disbursements.
For assistance or inquiries, please contact your funding institution or the Sage team at nf-osi@sagebionetworks.org.
✅ Visit your personalized Synapse project (created after DSP approval)
✅ View your study on the NF Data Portal
Data Generation Phase
✅ Upload data to your Synapse project
✅ Annotate your files with metadata
Throughout the duration of your project, you are encouraged to regularly upload and annotate data in line with established milestones.
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Upload your data files to Synapse either through the user interface or programmatically for larger files.
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Annotate your data files with the necessary metadata
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Include additional information such as provenance, supplementary documentation, or wikis
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If necessary, submit a milestone report to your funding body.
Project Completion (Under Embargo) Phase
Once your project grant date is passed, the data moves to an “embargo period”. Check with your funder for the specific length of the embargo period. During this time, you are encouraged to wrap up any data annotations and prep your data for publication.
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Ensure that all files adhere to appropriate data governance measures, including licensing and any access controls.
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For sensitive human data, our governance team will reach out to discuss any necessary access conditions.
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Mint a project DOI to facilitate permanent tracking and attribution, as this is frequently required by journals.
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Further curation might be needed, such as adding missing metadata or preparing data for easier discovery.
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If an extension is needed in this phase, please speak with the funding agency.
Data Publication Prep Phase
Our goal is to have the data released at the same time, or slightly before your publication is public so that readers can gain access to the data. Here are some steps to help you do that:
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Include a citation of your data hosted on Synapse in the Data Availability statement of your journal publication.
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If journal reviewers need access to your data, reach out to the Sage team (nf-osi@sagebionetworks.org) to submit a request and we will help with this process.
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Provide your approval to make the data accessible by responding to the email from the Sage team.
Note: We always require the approval of the principal investigator before making data public.
Post Publication Phase
✅ Agree to release data with appropriate access conditions
Congrats! Your data is released, and results are published! During this phase, we encourage you to share your news with the world!
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Once your data is released, you are encouraged to share the link or DOI of your Synapse project.
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The Sage team features recent data releases in their quarterly newsletters. If you would like to contribute, please send a summary of approximately 100-150 words describing the research and data available, along with citations to relevant publications, to nf-osi@sagebionetworks.org.