The following instructions will guide you through the submission steps for depositing data in dbGaP. Most text has been pulled from the dbGaP submission guide page and lightly edited for clarity. Click the links to learn more about each step on the dbGaP website
Identify appropriate Genomic Program Administrator (GPA). Note that your GPA or NIH Program Officer assignment may differ based on whether or not your study is NIH funded.
Send required documents and information to GPA
GPA registers the study in dbGaP
The Principal Investigator (PI) receives an “invite” from the dbGaP system (optional)
PI completes the study registration in dbGaP
GPA verifies the study registration information
When a study is registered by a Genomic Program Administrator (GPA) in the dbGaP Submission System (SS), the GPA indicates what data is expected to be submitted. This may be verified by the Program Officer (PO) who oversees the study funding.
Complete a Study Data Outline (SDO) through the Submission Portal (SP). This outline summarizes the data that will be uploaded and released in the current version. All data claimed in the SDO must be submitted. The data submission should adhere to the expectations of the Genomic Data Sharing (GDS) policy.
Obtain study accession number
Upload Phenotype and Metadata using the Submission Guide and Templates
Upload Molecular data using Submission Guide
Create preview site
Approve preview site
dbGaP provides this step by step visual guide to the submission process, from study registration to study release
Image credit: NCBI
dbGaP has also published the following videos guiding submitters through the depositing process. Watch them below or click the links to view them on the NLM's YouTube Channel:
