Getting Started
What do you need to get started?
Before you dive in, here’s a breakdown of what you need to get started using the portal:
Explore data
The ELITE Portal is built on open science principles, allowing anyone to browse its content freely. No registration is required—just dive in and explore!
If you’re new to the ELITE Portal, start by reviewing the Portal Navigation, Information Hierarchy, and About Metadata sections to understand the site’s structure and navigate it easily. When you’re ready to explore data files, check out the Getting Started with Data Exploration article.
For additional instructions, see the user guides under the Explore Data section of the help docs.
Access & Download data
To download data from the ELITE Portal, you must first create a Synapse account and agree to the Synapse Terms and Conditions of Use. Synapse serves as the backend and data storage platform for the ELITE Portal. Learn more about Synapse here.
Most data on the portal is controlled access, requiring submission of a Data Use Certificate (DUC). Depending on the study, you may also need Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Independent Ethics Committee (IEC) approval or exemption for your research.
Access requests are typically processed within one week. For detailed data access instructions, visit the About the Portal > Governance section.
Use data
Data on the portal is available for General Research Use (GRU), with no publication embargo. If you plan to use any data from the portal—whether open or controlled access—in your publications, you must include an official acknowledgment of the data contributors. For guidance on finding and using pre-written acknowledgment statements, click here.
Contribute data
Data on the ELITE Portal comes from specific projects supported by the National Institute on Aging. If you are part of one of these projects and want to share your data on the portal, please refer to our Contributing Data section for detailed instructions.
Additional Resources
Refer to the glossary if you come across a term you are unsure of
For further questions, feel free to contact us