It is important that each project Subject is assigned exactly 1 Subject ID that is unique across the project. In multi-site or multi-modality projects, care must be taken to ensure the same Subject is not assigned multiple Subject IDs at different sites or across different modalities. Of equal importance is the precise Subject ID entry at every data entry occurence. A Subject ID typo can have significant consequences throughtout the Neuroinformatics Platform system.

The Subject ID must be the concatenation of the Project ID, an underscore and a Subject Code.

Ex. ABC01_CMH_00000001

ExampleDefinititionRestrictions/RulesNotes
ABCProject Code3 Uppercase LettersChosen in coordination with KCNI admin. Preferably a project acronym. Cannot match existing project.
01Study Code2 NumeralsTypically '01', unless describing divisions within a project
CMHSite Code3 Uppercase LettersMust be chosen from the Site Code List
00000001Subject Code4-8 Alphanumeric CharactersSee Subject Code Guidelines

The Subject Code denotes a specific person (or animal) within the study.

Guidelines for choosing an appropriate Subject Code:

  • must be 4 to 8 characters long
  • preferably contains only numeric digits, but can include uppercase letters if needed
  • recomended to start at 00000001 and increment as necessary
  • must not contain lowercase letters, symbols, or whitespace (spaces, tabs, etc)
  • must not include PHI (e.g., diagnosis), case/control status, or other sensitive information
  • must not contain the characters 'PHA' in positions 4-6, since these indicate "phantom" (non-human) images in XNAT
  • must not contain any coding related to location, visit, or any other code that is not representative of the participant. (eg. BAD: ABC01_CMH_V10001 - where V1 represents the first visit)

If you have already started collecting data and your participants do not follow this naming convention, please indicate this at your Neuroinformatics Platform project on-boarding meeting as a name conversion script might need to be implemented.


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