Become an accredited researcher

Most access to data in the Secure Research Service (SRS) will be under the Digital Economy Act 2017 (DEA). There are four ways in which a researcher can be associated with a research project using the DEA:

• as a full accredited researcher under the DEA (214.68KB)
• as a provisional accredited researcher under the DEA (PDF, 237KB)
• as a peer reviewer with access to data in the SRS
• as a peer reviewer with access to cleared outputs

In some instances, access can be granted by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (SRSA) Approved Researcher.

Becoming a full accredited researcher under the Digital Economy Act 2017 (DEA) allows researchers to carry out analysis and produce outputs on projects in an Trusted Research Environment such as the Secure Research Service (SRS). To be a full accredited researcher, individuals must have an undergraduate degree (or higher), including a significant proportion of maths or statistics. Otherwise, they must be able to demonstrate at least three years quantitative research experience.

Full accreditation conditions for researchers are set out in Part 2 of the Research Code of Practice and Accreditation Criteria.

Researchers should apply for accreditation through the Research Accreditation Service (RAS). Please do not email your application form to us.

A provisional accredited researcher under the Digital Economy Act 2017 (DEA) can work on projects in an Trusted Research Environment, such as the Secure Research Service (SRS), under the supervision of an accredited researcher from the same organisation. This role suits individuals without the appropriate experience or qualifications required for full accredited researcher status.

After meeting the necessary conditions, provisional accredited researcher status will now be valid for three years. Previously, provisional accredited researcher status was valid for one year. Anyone who already has a one year provisional accredited researcher status will not have this extended to three years, but if this is renewed, the three-year time period will be applied at that point.

Peer reviewer with access to data in the Secure Research Service (SRS)

This role enables individuals to access a project in the Secure Research Service (SRS) to validate work done within a project and assess the validity and quality for publication. Individuals will need to be fully accredited researchers under the Digital Economy Act 2017 (DEA) to perform this role.

Peer reviewer with access to cleared outputs only

This role enables individuals to view pre-publication outputs that have been cleared from the SRS, but with no access to data within the SRS. This role does not require accreditation, but individuals fulfilling this role must sign an agreement and be added the project application.

How to become a peer reviewer

If someone is interested in becoming a peer reviewer for a project, the project lead should contact SRS Customer Support at srs.customer.support@ons.gov.uk.

The prospective reviewer will be asked to sign an agreement, and be added to the registered project's team. They will not have access to the SRS or to pre-publication outputs before this process is complete'

In some circumstances, researchers may access data for research purposes using the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (SRSA) approved researcher legal gateway. The prerequisites and process for becoming an approved researcher are the same as those for accredited researchers under the Digital Economy Act 2017 (DEA), as set out above. Consequently, all approved researchers are recognised as accredited researchers and vice versa.

Governance of the SRSA Approved Researcher is overseen by the Research Accreditation Panel (RAP). This ensures that the process for granting access to de-identified data to accredited researchers under the DEA is independent, consistent, and transparent.

Researchers can apply for accreditation through the Research Accreditation Service (RAS).

Further information on the criteria being used, and required to be met for accredited and approved researchers, can be found in Part 2 of the Research Code of Practice and Accreditation criteria.

A record of all accredited and approved researchers is published on the UK Statistics Authority website to ensure transparency of access to research data under the Digital Economy Act 2017 (DEA) and Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (SRSA) (from 9 September 2021 onwards).

You can contact the Secure Research Service (SRS) Customer Support team for more information and advice on whether the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Approved Researcher scheme is suitable for your research.

The team are available Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm. You can contact them by telephone on +44 1329 447871 or by email at srs.customer.support@ons.gov.uk.