FAQ
Questions
What is the difference between the PhenX Toolkit and the PhenX Portal?
How are PhenX research domains chosen?
How can the PhenX Toolkit help me as an investigator?
Is there a standard format for display of Measures and Protocols?
The PhenX terminology is confusing; where can I go for help?
Is there any guidance on using the PhenX Toolkit?
Do I need to register to use the PhenX Toolkit?
Why should I become a Registered User of the PhenX Toolkit?
How do I cite use of the PhenX Toolkit?
Are all of the PhenX Toolkit measurement protocols freely available?
Answers
What is PhenX? « Back to top
PhenX is a project funded and administered by NHGRI with co-funding from other NIH Institutes and Centers. PhenX is pronounced "phoenix" stands for "consensus measures for Phenotypes and eXposures"
More information: http://www.phenx.org
What is the difference between the PhenX Toolkit and the PhenX Portal? « Back to top
The PhenX Toolkit (http://www.phenxtoolkit.org) is a catalog of recommended protocols that is web-based and freely available. Users can search and browse the Toolkit and create a My Toolkit of their selections that can be included when creating a new study or expanding an existing study.
The PhenX Portal (http://www.phenx.org) provides general information about the PhenX project and the consensus process used by PhenX to develop the contents of the Toolkit.
How are PhenX research domains chosen? « Back to top
How are PhenX research domains chosen?
- Domains are chosen by the PhenX Steering Committee based on the following criteria:
- Public health significance
- Evidence of substantial genetic influence on key phenotypes associated with the domain
- Evidence of environmental influence on key phenotypes associated with the domain
- Available, well-established measures and protocols
- Cross-cutting relevance to several diseases or exposures
- Broad inclusion in non-GWA studies of diseases
- Potential for translation to clinical research
How can the PhenX Toolkit help me as an investigator? « Back to top
Using protocols from the PhenX Toolkit facilitates cross-study analysis, potentially increasing the scientific impact of individual studies. The Toolkit provides detailed protocols for collecting data and tools to help investigators incorporate the protocols into their studies.
Is there a standard format for display of Measures and Protocols? « Back to top
Yes. A standard format was adopted to ensure uniform appearance and consistency between Domains. This has resulted in appearance changes between the PhenX Protocols and the original source. This is a cosmetic change only and is primarily a change to the layout of the text. There is no loss of information or meaning.
The PhenX terminology is confusing; where can I go for help? « Back to top
You can find the Glossary and Acronyms terms here
Is there any guidance on using the PhenX Toolkit? « Back to top
You can find the Toolkit Guidance here.
Do I need to register to use the PhenX Toolkit? « Back to top
You are able to search, browse, choose and report on Measures from the Toolkit without becoming a registered user.
Why should I become a Registered User of the PhenX Toolkit? « Back to top
Becoming a registered user enables access to the Link Your Study and other features, including the ability to save and share multiple My Toolkits with colleagues.
How do I cite use of the PhenX Toolkit? « Back to top
You can find the citation for the PhenX Toolkit here.
Are all of the PhenX Toolkit measurement protocols freely available? « Back to top
Most of the measurement protocols in the PhenX Toolkit are freely available. However, a small percentage of protocols selected by the PhenX WGs have limited availability. If it is a protocol with limited availability, the user will be directed to the source of the protocol.