Acknowledgements and Publications Policy - Summary
The NHS Research SDE Network Acknowledgements and Publications Policy (SNAPPy) provides a guide for acknowledging, crediting, and tracking research outputs (including peer-reviewed articles) that use data from the NHS Research Secure Data Environment (SDE) Network in England.
This is an abridged version. For full details, refer to the complete SNAPPy document.
Scope and purpose
The policy applies to all research and research-based outputs, using or facilitated by the NHS Research SDE Network. This includes peer-reviewed papers (full and pre-prints), conference abstracts, presentations, posters, reports, and associated press releases.
Objectives
- Support public trust and transparency
- Ensure consistency across all SDE Network outputs
- Support open science and ensure fair credit for contributors
Timeline and compliance
Researchers should ensure the research outputs are produced promptly, stay within the extent agreed in the data access agreement (DAA), and inform the Network of outputs.
Peer-reviewed article requirements
All peer-reviewed articles, aiming for open access publication, must state that the work used data accessed through the SDE Network and must include the Project ID (from the data user register) and all available digital object identifiers (DOIs) for the data used or generated. Articles should clearly document the following details:
| Data metadata | Name of data sources and specific date ranges |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Whether NHS data used explicit participant consent or another legal framework |
| Cohort selection | The approach used to select the study population |
| Data | Identifiers used for linkage, the success rate of the process, whether the analysis dataset retained identifiers, and if data were extracted to the sponsor's environment. |
| Governance | Confirmation that data access committees involved Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) members |
| Federated analytics | The approach used if data came from multiple SDEs or external sources |
| Data sharing | Publications should include a data sharing or data availability statement explaining how data may be accessed for future research, or why access is restricted |
Default acknowledgement text to use in the manuscript
The text may be adjusted to fit publisher word counts or style guides.
"This research was enabled by secure access to data through the [NAME] Secure Data Environment (SDE) (Project ID: EEXXXX), part of the NHS Research SDE Network. The NHS Research SDE Network has been funded by the NHS and the following government departments: Dept of Health and Social Care and Office for Life Sciences. This research was Powered by NHS Data, using data collected by the NHS as part of patients’ care. We thank the public for supporting this work and the people whose data contributed."
Review, media and transparency
| Pre-submission review | Not mandatory unless explicitly required by your DAA |
|---|---|
| Optional review | You are encouraged to offer drafts for review to ensure appropriate SDE Network recognition |
| Escalation | Flag any sensitive findings or concerns to the SDE |
| Media activities | Notify the SDE as early as possible before engaging with media and share draft press materials where appropriate |
Outputs
| Citation tracking | Research outputs are an important metric and you should promptly submit your final publication citation or link via the central web form on the SDE Network website |
|---|---|
| Public-facing outputs | Summaries should be provided for all projects. Where participants were consented, findings should be shared back with participants. |
| Additional | Where the HDR Gateway supported data discovery or access, additionally follow the HDR UK Attribution Policy |
Dispute resolution
Any disagreements must be resolved before any outputs are published.
Checklist
Use the supplied checklist to help ensure your output meets the requirements.
Last edited: 28 July 2026 2:33 pm