4  Start a new project

If you are part of DP-Next (or not), you’ll be working on research projects, likely using data collected during DP-Next or from existing data (e.g. ADDITION-PRO). This chapter describes what to do when starting a new project. Below in Figure 4.1 is a visual summary of the steps to take, along with descriptions afterwards that outline the steps in more detail.

graph TB
  A0("Review existing projects<br>for any overlap with your<br>potential project<br>(you)"):::yours
  A("Create GitHub<br>project proposal issue<br>(you)"):::yours
  B["Synopsis review<br>and approval<br>(us)"]:::ours
  C["Data agreement<br>(if required)<br>(us)"]:::ours
  D["Create GitHub<br>repository<br>(us)"]:::ours
  E("Complete TODOs in<br>'dp-next.yaml'<br>(you)"):::yours
  A0 --> A --> B --> C --> D --> E

  classDef ours fill:#ADD8E6;
  classDef yours fill:#FFA07A;
Figure 4.1: Steps to take for starting a project within DP-Next. The rounded boxes in orange are tasks you are responsible for doing. The rectangular ones in light blue are for the managers (“us”) to do.

The requirements for preparing a DP-Next publication apply to both internal and external researchers and should follow these steps:

  1. Before proposing a project, make sure that you aren’t doing something that’s already done or being worked on. If there is a current ongoing project that is similar to what you wanted to work on, you can request to collaborate on that project with those researchers.

  2. If there is no other project that is similar to your project idea, you can propose the project. Create a new issue in the WP1-Management repo (private for now) and select the “Project proposal” issue template. Fill in the fields there, which we’ll use to assess how relevant the project is within DP-Next.

  3. Once you’ve created the issue, at least one member of the Steering Committee needs to review and approve it (usually either the principle investigator or the general coordinator). It is possible that someone may approve it, but later another committee member may request changes or give comments. If that happens, it is fairly easy to update the project. Once approved, someone with access permissions (e.g. in WP1) will create a GitHub repository for the project by using the DP-Next template project and following our naming convention.

  4. After the repository is created, you need to go through the repository and complete any TODO items, such as those found in the TODO.md file. Importantly, the TODO items in the dp-next.yaml file need to be filled. We use the information in this file to create an overview of the different projects going on in DP-Next.

Note

We expect that many new projects based on DP-Next data will be done by DP-Next researchers. However, we also welcome collaborations with external researchers (i.e. those who are not part of DP-Next), though these projects must include at least one DP-Next member as coauthor so that projects follow our standards. Projects can be stand-alone or part of a wider initiative, such as a PhD or postdoc protocol.

Warning

For investigators not covered by the DP-Next agreements (by institutional affiliation to one of the Steno Diabetes Centres), a separate data agreement must be signed if they require data access. This agreement must be in place before any data access can be given.