Start New Research
Database-Based Research
Turn existing public and licensed databases into publishable analyses.
Overview
What this pathway is
Large curated datasets allow rigorous research without primary data collection — provided the question, variable definitions and analysis plan are specified correctly.
Support covers idea, research question, variable derivation, design, analysis, interpretation, manuscript and publication support.
Fit
Who it is for
- Researchers without access to primary participants
- Teams needing rapid, feasible, ethically straightforward projects
- Students building analytic skills on real data
Scope
Possible research types
Process
Workflow
- 01
Database selection
Match your question to a dataset that can actually answer it.
- 02
Question & variables
Define exposure, outcome, covariates and derivation rules.
- 03
Analysis plan
Pre-specify models, subgroups and sensitivity analyses.
- 04
Analysis
Execution with reproducible scripts and documented decisions.
- 05
Interpretation
Contextualise findings and state limitations honestly.
- 06
Manuscript
Writing and submission support.
Scope Clarity
What's included / not included
Included
- Feasibility assessment against the chosen database
- Variable dictionary and derivation logic
- Statistical analysis plan and execution
- Tables, figures and reproducible outputs
- Manuscript development support
Not included
- No guarantee of journal acceptance or publication.
- No purchased or gifted authorship — authorship follows documented contribution.
- No ghostwriting of work you must author yourself.
- No manipulation of data, results or references.
- Purchase of licensed datasets on your behalf unless separately agreed.
Before You Start
Requirements
- Access rights or eligibility for the chosen database where licensing applies
- Institutional approvals where required by the data custodian
Deliverables
Expected outputs
- Analysis plan
- Reproducible scripts
- Results package
- Manuscript draft
On authorship
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
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