USER GUIDE

General

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What is the current scope of INTERVALS?

The INTERVALS platform and its associated data warehouse were created as a scientific transparency platform for sharing studies, protocols, and data related to risk assessment of potential modified risk tobacco products, as well as for reporting mechanistic investigations linked to tobacco-related diseases and pathways of toxicity. Strengthened by community features, INTERVALS aims to enable the necessary dialogue among industry, independent reviewers, the public health community, the research community, and regulatory agencies that can validate the harm reduction potential of potential modified risk tobacco products.

Who is developing and funding intervals? 

Philip Morris International R&D initiated the creation of INTERVALS with the intention to build an online platform enabling independent, third-party collaboration and data analysis by proactively sharing protocols, tools, and data from assessment studies.  

Data files are accompanied by relevant information to foster reproducible research and high-level summaries of obtained results. As the platform also hosts protocols and results from in vivo inhalation studies and in vitro studies describing the chemical composition, genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and physical properties of the aerosol from potential modified risk tobacco products, it can serve as a valuable source of scientific assessment data.  
The site and associated data warehouse are developed in collaboration with Emakina and Edelweiss Connect GmbH. 

Who can contribute and upload content? 

Any institution producing relevant data on potential modified risk tobacco products (from aerosol characterization to molecular data) is invited to contribute to this platform to facilitate scientific exchange and data reusability in the context of tobacco harm reduction. 

What are the different types of content that can be added to the platform? 

The platform offers the possibility to host Studies, Data Reports, Datasets, and Protocols linked to specific manuscripts.  

• Studies present in a curated format the results of peer-reviewed scientific publications. A particular focus is put on the introduction, material and methods, new data visualizations, and dataset availability, enhancing the transparency and reproducibility of the related manuscripts. Detailed step-by-step protocols used to generate datasets can also be associated with curated studies. Studies are uniquely identified with a DOI to cite the curated study per se.
• Data Reports are a type of content intended to be used as the data repository for a specific manuscript. Data Reports are a shorter version of the Studies and include a short abstract of the scientific investigation along with the datasets. A unique DOI is generated for the entire dataset associated with the manuscript. This new type of feature will be added to the platform shortly.
• Datasets are linked specifically to Studies and Data Reports. They contain the data files associated with specific manuscript When a dataset is uploaded on the platform, a specific DOI is generated, offering the possibility to cite single datasets.
• Protocols contain the detailed step-by-step procedures associated with a study. A specific DOI is also generated for the protocol.

What is a DOI? 

A DOI is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used on digital networks to uniquely identify online articles, books, documents, datasets, etc. with a permanent web address. 

How to publish content on the platform? 

• Studies, Data Reports, and Protocols are first created as unpublished draft versions in My Workspace. The documents will appear as Version 1 – In development and can be modified or deleted depending on the access rights defined by the document owner. The owner (document creator) can invite secondary owners, contributors, or guests. 
  
  • Owner: can add or delete content, can delete the entire document.
  • Contributor: can add or delete content.
  • Guest: has read-only access.
• Datasets can be uploaded, edited, modified, or deleted by their owner or contributor as long as the Study or Data Report is in development. They can be added and linked only to Studies and Data Reports. They cannot be independently added to the platform.
• To create a dataset, refer to the user guide "How to prepare and upload data."
• It is preferred to prepare the INTERVALS content prior to publication acceptance so that both can be fully published at the same time. Content can also be prepared after a manuscript publication, but the DOI link will be missing from the manuscript.
• Once all required information has been uploaded, the content can be submitted for publication by clicking Submit for Publication. The content will be quality-checked (QC) by the INTERVALS team. Successful QC will trigger publication on the platform. In case of QC failure, the content will be returned to the owner for correction as a draft. 
• The DOIs will become active and public only once the content has been approved and published by the INTERVALS team.

Is it possible to publish only an independent dataset?

There is no possibility of publishing a dataset without linking it to a Study or a Data Report. 

Can the content be shared externally prior to the publication on INTERVALS? 

It is possible to create an access token for external reviewers, providing read-only access prior to publication. The duration of token validity can be defined by the study owner. The access link can then be forwarded by e-mail to any relevant person (e.g., manuscript reviewers) upon request.  

• To create an access token, go to General information about the study in the Study or Data Report.
• Click on External reviewer access token, then click on Add.
• In the new window, enter the number of days of validity and the purpose for creating the Click on Submit.
• The final window will provide the token link and last date of validity. The link can be shared via e-mail and/or copied on the Clipboard. The token can be deleted at any time by clicking on Revoke.

Can published content be modified on the platform? 

It is possible to modify published content by creating a new version of it under My Workspace. Modifications will be entered as Version 2 of the document. Version 1 will remain published on the website, and a new DOI will be created for the new version.  

• To modify published content, go to your published documents in My Workspace and click on Create a new version under the relevant content. 

How can I cite content on platform?  

A single DOI will be generated following the creation of a Study or Data Report. In addition, DOIs will be created for every dataset associated with a Study or Data Report. DOIs will become active only after acceptance and publication of the content on INTERVALS. 

You may cite specific content in your manuscript before publication by referring to the INTERVALS platform. You may create a “Data availability” paragraph within your Materials and Methods section, for example. The following sentence can be used, depending on the content added: 

Datasets, additional data visualizations, and detailed protocols are available on the INTERVALS platform at https://doi.org/10.26126/intervals.xxxxxx.x. 

What are the benefits associated with the creation of citable datasets?

Once your data is deposited and published, you may share it either privately or publicly. Your work can then be cited by others. By sharing your content using the DOIs related to the specific content and data in your publication, you support research transparency and reproducibility.  

Where can I find a definition for terms and abbreviations used on this platform?  

You can find definitions of specific terms in the Glossary.