# Sanad data-readiness checklist

Use this checklist before discussing an analysis engagement or a Research Access request. It is a preparation aid, not ethics approval, a data-sharing agreement, or confirmation that a study is suitable for publication.

## Start with a summary

- Define the research question and intended use of the analysis.
- Describe the study design, setting, dates, source population, and recruitment or selection process.
- Identify the outcomes, exposures, and other variables relevant to the question.
- State what analysis or manuscript work has already been completed.

## Document the dataset

- Prepare a data dictionary explaining each variable, its type, coding, units, and permitted values.
- Record the meaning of missing-value codes.
- Explain whether rows represent people, encounters, measurements, or another unit.
- Identify repeated observations and the method used to link them.
- Document duplicate handling, corrections, exclusions, and transformations.
- Retain an unchanged source copy and a record of cleaning decisions.
- Explain relevant limitations, including missingness and potential measurement problems.
- Keep the analysis files and supporting documentation in a consistent, versioned structure.

## Confirm permission and ethics

- Have the required ethics approval or documented waiver available for review.
- Confirm authority to use the data for the proposed research purpose.
- Confirm authority for the proposed sharing arrangement, including who may access the data.
- Agree the scope, responsibilities, and data arrangements before transfer.
- Determine the appropriate removal or protection of identifiers with the responsible data custodian.
- Agree how access, retention, return, and deletion will be handled for the engagement.

## For the first inquiry

Send a non-confidential summary only. Do not upload patient-level data, names, identifiers, medical records, financial records, or unpublished protocol details through a general inquiry form.

If a project is shortlisted, the parties agree an appropriate data-access route. Organized data still require a methodological and quality assessment. A tidy spreadsheet alone does not establish validity or publication potential.

Discuss an institutional project: https://sanadresearch.com/en/for-institutions

Discuss pharmaceutical evidence work: https://sanadresearch.com/en/for-pharma