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Writing Your Workspace Description

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Before you can create a workspace, it's important to describe more about your project through the workspace description.

The workspace description should include a title reflective of the research purpose, articulate your research question and its importance, and address your population of interest.

Your workspace description is publicly displayed on the Research Project Directory on the Research Hub, so be mindful to complete each section thoroughly. The workspace description provides transparency to participants and the program about your stewardship of the data.

For more information on writing your workspace description, read “Sample Workspace Description.”

To write your workspace description

  1. Select the primary purpose(s) of your research project.
    Note: You can select all that apply to your research.
    • Research purpose
      • Disease-focused research
      • Methods development/validation study
      • Research control
      • Genetic research
      • Social/behavioral research
      • Population health/public health research
      • Drug/therapeutics development research
    • Educational purpose
    • For-profit purpose
    • Other purpose

      The what is the primary purpose of your project is the first question under the Research Use Statement Questions section on the workspace description page. The question includes select all that apply checkboxes for the following answers: research purpose, educational purpose, for-profit purpose, and other purpose. For projects with a research purpose, you can define the type of research more granular: disease-focused, methods development, genetic research, etc. For projects with an educational purpose, the data will be used for education purposes (e.g., for a college research methods course or to educate students on population-based research approaches). For projects with a for-profit purpose, the data will be used by a for-profit entity for research or product or service development (e.g., for understanding drug responses as part of a pharmaceutical company’s drug development or market research efforts.). For other purpose, you will provide details regarding your purpose of data use in the open text box with a 500 character limit. After completing the first question, you will provide a more detailed summary of your research purpose.

  2. Provide a summary of your research purpose, including
    • What are the specific scientific questions you intend to study?
    • Why are those questions important?
    • What are the scientific approaches you plan to use for your research?
    • What anticipated findings do you expect from your research?
    • How would your findings contribute to the scientific knowledge in the field?

      Note: Keep in mind that your responses are publicly displayed on the Research Project Directory on the Research Hub.

      The summary of your research purpose is broken into the five questions related to your specific scientific questions and approaches. Each question is an open text box with a 1,000 character limit. After completing the questions related to your research purpose summary, you will provide information related to how you plan to share your research findings.
  3. Select the way(s) you plan to share your research findings to both scientific and community audiences.

    The how you plan to share your research findings question includes select all that apply checkboxes for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), presentation at national or international scientific conferences, presentations at community forums or advisory groups (such as town halls, advocacy group meetings, or community advisory boards), press releases or media article covering scientific publication, publication in community-based journals or blog, or publication of article in a personal blog. You can also select other and provide additional information in an open text box. After completing the questions related to your research findings, you will provide information related to how your research outcomes fit with the program’s scientific framework.

  4. Select the way(s) your research outcome fits into the All of Us Research Program Scientific Framework.
    • This research project seeks to increase wellness and resilience and promote healthy living.
    • This research project seeks to reduce health disparities and improve health equity in underrepresented in biomedical research populations.
    • This research project seeks to develop improved risk assessment and prevent strategies to preempt disease.
    • This research project seeks to provide earlier and more accurate diagnosis to decrease illness burden.
    • This research project seeks to improve health outcomes and reduce disease/illness burden through improved treatment and development of precision intervention.
    • None of these statements apply to this research project.

      The how your research outcomes fit with the program’s scientific framework question includes select all that apply checkboxes. After completing the questions related to how your research outcomes fit with the program’s scientific framework, you will answer a question related to your project’s population of interest.

  5. Confirm if your study focuses on a specific population(s) or if you intend to study a phenotype, disease, or condition with a focus on comparative analysis of a specific demographic group (e.g., a group based on race and ethnicity, gender, or age).

    A primary aim of the All of Us Research Program is to engage communities that have been historically underrepresented in biomedical research. The yes or no question about if your project will focus on any historically underrepresented populations is designed to help the program assess how well we are serving underrepresented communities and to protect against potential stigmatizing research. If you select yes that your project will focus on any historically underrepresented populations, you will define the populations that your project will focus on by using the select all that apply checkboxes. Populations include race and ethnicity, age groups, sex at birth, gender identity, disability status, access to care, education level, and income level. After completing the questions related to how your research outcomes fit with the program’s scientific framework, you will answer a question related to review by the Resource Access Board.

  6. Confirm if you want a review of your workspace description by the Resource Access Board (RAB) to confirm your research is not stigmatizing in nature.
    Note: If you request a review, you can expect an initial response within five business days. During the RAB’s review, you can begin working in your workspace.

    Any research that focuses on certain population characteristics or uses demographic variables in analyses can result, often unintentionally, in findings that may be misinterpreted or misused by others to foster stigma. We encourage you to request a review of your research purpose statement by the All of Us Resource Access Board (RAB) as a precaution. The RAB provides feedback and if needed, guidance for modifying your research purpose or scope. The question for if you would like to request a review of your research purpose statement by RAB is a yes or no response. As a note, the RAB is available to you at any time to help address questions about potentially stigmatizing research. As your research progresses, should any new concerns arise based on study outcomes, you can contact RAB for assistance through the User Support Hub menu in your workspace. The question related to RAB review is the final question in the workspace description screen.

  7. Click “Create Workspace.”

    The create workspace button is a dark blue button at the bottom of the workspace description screen and after the question related to RAB review. To the left of the create workspace button, there is hyperlinked cancel text that will scrap the workspace description information you provided. If you click the cancel text, the Researcher Workbench home screen will appear.

After writing your workspace description and clicking “Create Workspace,” you will see the Data Tab in your new workspace, which is where you will select participants using the Cohort Builder.

Next article

Selecting participants using the Cohort Builder

Learn how to use the Cohort Builder to select participants based on your inclusion and exclusion criteria

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