The submission of a data access request is followed by a process that includes the evaluation of the request, the production of the research file, and contractual commitments. The main steps are listed in the diagram below.
Access request submission
Research team
- Explore available databanks and variables and review the startup kit
- Run a cost simulation, if desired
- Prepare the request (form, supporting documents and document verification list)
- Ensure that all submitted documents are included and up to date
- Submit the request in the Research Zone (Zone recherche)
Institut de la statistique du Québec
- Assist the researcher in defining their needs
Request processing
Research team
- Provide documents and information requested by the ISQ to evaluate your request
- If necessary, obtain the authorizations needed to add external data to the research file
Institut de la statistique du Québec
- Evaluate data availability and technical feasibility of the request
- Estimate cohort size, if necessary
- Provide the researcher with an approximate cost estimate
- Evaluate data privacy
- Inform the researcher of the applicable data access conditions
Contractual and administrative commitments
Research team
- Review the security and data protection rules included in the contract
- Sign the contract and the confidentiality agreement (research team and associated organization)
Institut de la statistique du Québec
- Prepare and send the contract and confidentiality agreement
- Sign the contract
Research file preparation
Institut de la statistique du Québec
- Proceed with selection of individuals targeted by the research project from the databanks under their responsibility
- Databank pairing, if necessary (probabilistic method)
- Select and extract authorized variables
- Create the research file for the project
Access to the research file, use of data and dissemination of results
Research team
- Complete the orientation session provided by the ISQ (research team)
- Submit your sworn statement
- View the research file in a secure environment (at a CADRISQ data centre or remotely)
- Use the data
- Share only those statistical results that meet the ISQ’s confidentiality requirements
Institut de la statistique du Québec
- Conduct a mandatory orientation session for the research team (security, data privacy and rules for controlling the risk of disclosure)
- Swear in the research team
- Provide researchers with a secure environment to access the data, including access to statistical software tools (e.g. STATA, R, SAS, SPSS)
- Make the research file and statistical results of the researcher’s work available in accordance with the established terms
- Verify statistical results before publication to ensure compliance with ISQ confidentiality rules
Project tracking
Research team
- Ensure that renewal of the project’s ethics approval covers the entire authorized access period
- At the end of the authorized access period, request an extension if the research is not yet complete
- Inform the ISQ of any scientific publications resulting from use of the research file
Institut de la statistique du Québec
- Enter ethics approval renewals obtained by the researcher in the project file
- Publish references to scientific publications resulting from use of the data on the RDA website
Project closure
Research team
- Inform the ISQ when the research project that uses the research file is finished, and authorize it to begin closing the project
- Return all authentication elements to the ISQ that were provided to authorized persons
Institut de la statistique du Québec
- Deactivate access for the researcher and their team
- Destroy all data in accordance with the established terms
- Retain programs and documentation associated with the project at the researcher’s request
Evaluation
Once your request is complete and accompanied by all required documents, the ISQ data access service team will evaluate your request. If the evaluation leads to a positive result, the team will recommend that an access contract providing for the communication of information be created and signed.
Contracts
When the conformity of the request has been confirmed, the next step consists in signing two contracts: the service contract and the access contract. Each person who has access to the data must also sign a confidentiality agreement.
Service contract
When ISQ professionals are solicited to produce file(s) containing the requested information, a service contract is signed. This contract lists the work required to produce the file(s) and specifies the production costs. This contract is not required when an existing file is reused, for example to access an ISQ survey, because no specific work is necessary for the research team to access it.
Access contract
This contract binds the ISQ, the researcher who submits the request, and their associated organization.
It contains the security and data privacy rules to be followed, describes the terms of access, and contains all of the conditions and obligations that the parties are subject to. This contract is the data communication agreement.
Confidentiality agreement
Once the access contract has been signed, the members of the research team who will be accessing the data receive a project-specific confidentiality agreement.
This agreement must be signed before a legal practitioner or commissioner for oaths before access to data is provided.
Standard contract templates and confidentiality agreement templates can be found in the “Templates and reference documents” folder of the startup kit.
Research file production
Once both parties have signed, a technical specification is generated and the process of creating the research file can begin. If you have a file from an external source that contains data you would like to pair with the administrative or survey data you have requested, you must send the file to the ISQ in a secure manner.
If data in your possession needs to be paired with the data available through the RDA services website, it is strongly recommended that you use the two verification tables (Checklist table – Matching variables and Checklist table – Research variables) located in the “Templates and reference documents” folder of the startup kit. These tables will help you to correctly prepare the form and content of the files to be submitted to the ISQ for production of the final research file.
Access to data
Once the research file has been produced, the research team members must attend an orientation session by the ISQ to learn the basic access rules and how to navigate the IT access environment.
The team can then use the data according to the terms set out in the access contract.