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Terms and definitions

Workspace🔗

On the Jobs site, a workspace is linked to a GitHub repository in the OpenSAFELY organisation. Actions are run within the workspace, and generate outputs as defined in the repo's project.yaml.

On Airlock, a Workspace represents the Jobs site workspace as a directory of files generated from the jobs that have been run.

Release request🔗

A term used to refer to a request to release one or more output files from a workspace to the Jobs site.

Sometimes referred to as just "request".

A request is also represented in Airlock as a directory of file groups and the files they contain.

Output File🔗

Files of this type contain the data the researcher wishes to be released. These files will ultimately be released if approved.

Supporting File🔗

A file that has been added to a release request for additional information or context. Files of this type contain supplementary data to support the review of output files in the release request, e.g. the underlying data used to generate a figure. These files will ultimately not be released.

File Group🔗

A collection of files that share the same context and disclosure control information.

File groups allow the researcher to group the various files in a release request into logical groups, in order to help the output checker understand the request.

Supporting files should be placed in the same file group as the output file they support.

Context🔗

Contextual description of what data is contained in the output files within a file group explaining e.g.:

  • why these files are requested for release
  • variable descriptions
  • description and count of the underlying sample of the population
  • population size and degrees of freedom for regression outputs
  • relationship to other data/tables which through combination may introduce secondary disclosive risks.

Controls🔗

Description of statistical disclosure control measures (e.g. rounding/suppression) that have been applied to the files within a file group.

Turn🔗

A stage of the release request process during which the request is considered to be "owned" by either the researcher (author) or the reviewer (output checker).

Vote (on a request file)🔗

An individual output checker's review of a file. This can be Approved, Request changes or Undecided.

Decision (on a request file)🔗

The combined decision on a file, taking into account all submitted reviews from output checkers. This can be Approved or Request Changes (if output checkers agree) or Conflicted (if output checkers do not agree.)

Independent Review🔗

Each time a release request is submitted for review, it is initially reviewed independently by two output checkers. At this stage, output checkers are not aware of the status of other reviews, and cannot see comments made by other output checker.

Consolidation🔗

After output checkers have both completed their independent review, there is a phase of consolidation, where they can collaborate and determine the questions and feedback that may be required from the researcher, prior to deciding whether this request is now ready for release.

At this stage, any Conflicted decision can be discussed and output checkers can update their votes.