Data access policy
- General information
- Release policy
- Release date changes
- Removal of data from the public domain
- ArrayExpress user accounts
1. General information
Experiments (sets of assays) and array designs in ArrayExpress are either 'public' or 'private'. Data can be kept private until a specified release date or an associated paper containing the experiment or array design accession number is published. Access to private data is possible via submitter and reviewer login accounts.
2. Release policy
Experiments are made public when
- the specified release date is reached
- the submitter emails to tell us that the data can now be released (usually this is when an associated publication is accepted or published)
- we identify a publication in which the ArrayExpress experiment accession number is cited
Array designs are made public when
- the specified release date is reached
- the submitter emails to tell us that the data can now be released
- when an experiment the array design is linked to is made public
- we identify a publication in which the ArrayExpress array design accession number is cited
When an experiment or array design is made public the data is available through the ArrayExpress web interface (www.ebi.ac.uk/arrayexpress) and the FTP site (ftp://ftp.ebi.ac.uk/pub/databases/microarray/).
3. Release date changes
Reminders about experiment and array design release dates are sent to submitters 30 and 60 days before the current release date. Release dates can be changed by emailing us at miamexpress@ebi.ac.uk stating the new required release date (YYYY-MM-DD) and the accession number of the experiment or array design.
4. Removal of data from the public domain
Data may be be made private again in ArrayExpress (removing both web interface and FTP access) in the following circumstances
- submitters realise after their experiment or array design is made public that they failed to request a change to the release date. Note we import data regularly from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and any data that GEO notify us as being withdrawn will also be withdrawn from ArrayExpress.
- data is found to be incorrect e.g. sample annotation or sample-data file associations are wrong. The data will be removed from ArrayExpress until the data can be corrected.
- data are found to have been submitted to ArrayExpress without the permission of the rightful owner; this is expected to be extremely rare and requires formal institutional contact with the submitting institution.
Data is made private again at the next daily update of ArrayExpress where possible. As the data will have been distributed previously as public, ArrayExpress cannot exercise any control on the resultant use of the data by third parties.
Array designs cannot be made private again if they are linked to a public experiment. Array designs will be kept private if they are linked only to private experiments.
Experiments that have been public may be included in the Gene Expression Atlas . If an experiment is later made private again in ArrayExpress then it will also be removed from the Atlas. However, the Atlas has a monthly, rather daily, release schedule and data will be only removed at the next release unless there are extenuating circumstances.
High throughput sequencing read data that is submitted to ArrayExpress, but transferred to the European Nucleotide Archive is subject to their data release policies.
5. ArrayExpress user accounts
Submitters are sent details about their own user accounts and those for journal reviewers after an experiment or array design is loaded into the ArrayExpress database. Submitters can view all their private experiments and array designs using one login. Reviewer accounts only give access to individual experiments or array designs.