1. Searching

Basic Searches

To search the ZSOM/Northwell Data Catalog, simply type your search terms in the search bar and click on "Search".
You can enter the browse mode by clicking on "Search" without search terms.

Results will be returned in a new page with the most relevant result on top. Each result will contain the following information in a brief record:

• Dataset title
• An excerpt of the dataset description
• Subject
• Access rights

The name of the dataset author(s) if it was produced by ZSOM/Northwell researcher(s), or a "Local Expert" if the dataset was generated outside of ZSOM/Northwell.

Advanced Searches with Boolean Operators

The operators AND, OR, NOT, parentheses, quotation marks, and wildcards (* or ?) may be used to further customize a search string. Please see below for the results obtained for ((EHR OR Electronic Health Record) AND Diabetes).

Refining Searches with Filters

Search results may also be refined by clicking on any of the filters in the left sidebar.

In the following example, the results for "electronic health records" were filtered by the Access Restriction "Free to All" and the Data Collection Years of "2011-Present". Filters may be removed by clicking on them at the top of the search results. The results will automatically refresh.

Browsing Related Datasets

Clicking on a dataset title will lead to a new page that details the full catalog record for the dataset. To find similar datasets, click on any of the links under Subject Domain, Keywords, Data Type, or Related Datasets.

2. Accessing Datasets

The ZSOM/Northwell Data Catalog can be thought of as a directory — unlike a repository, it does not host datasets! The following section explains how to access datasets from the catalog.

Restrictions

Access restrictions (red box) are reported in the top-right of every dataset. They describe who the dataset is available to and how they can access it. Some datasets will require fees, some are only available to ZSOM/Northwell employees, some require approval or an application, and some are free to all. To look for datasets with specific restrictions, be sure to use the Access Restrictions filter.

Instructions

Access instructions (green box) will describe the application process (if required for the dataset) or clarify how to navigate the website which hosts the dataset.

Links

For datasets that do not require approval from a ZSOM/Northwell author, there will be links (purple box) following the access instructions that lead to the websites that host the dataset. In the event that there are multiple access links, read the link description and access instructions carefully to determine which one is most relevant.

For datasets that require approval, contact the authors or publishers.

Dataset Requests

Datasets that require an application or author approval for access are subject to the discretion of the creator of that dataset. While all researchers whose datasets are included in the Data Catalog have agreed to participate, they may choose to decline your request.

3. Contacting a ZSOM/Northwell Corresponding Author or Local Expert

Corresponding Author

To obtain contact information for datasets that were generated by a ZSOM/ Northwell researcher who is also the corresponding author, hover over the researchers name and click on View Profile.

Local Expert

Local experts are ZSOM/ Northwell researchers who have experience with the dataset. To contact a Local Expert for assistance, hover over the researchers name and look for their contact information by clicking on "view profile".