Contribution guide

• Data extracted from peer-reviewed plant-protein literature (Excel, CSV or TSV preferred)
• Laboratory data from a collaborator group, with the analytical method
• Molecular dynamics simulation outputs (metadata and numeric results)
• Article registration without numeric data (DOI or citation only)

Each source needs a full citation; a DOI is strongly preferred because it is used for duplicate detection. Simulation data also needs the method, force field, solvent, temperature and simulation time.

• Record the exact value, unit, basis, method and source. FoodProt never silently converts a value to another unit.
• Water holding capacity, for example, is reported as %, g water/g sample or g water/g protein. Enter the convention the source used and do not convert it to % first.
• A value is shown in a canonical unit only when a valid, documented conversion exists and the basis is known; the original value and unit are always kept. Different bases are never converted.
• Type the unit exactly as the source reports it (in an earlier workbook, choose Other / custom unit and type it in measurement_unit_custom). It is stored verbatim; control characters are refused, and formula-like or number-only text is flagged for you to confirm.
• Values in incompatible units or on different bases are never pooled into one mean, test or axis.
• If the unit or basis is unclear in the source, add a note. The row is flagged for unit review and a reviewer asks for clarification instead of guessing.

More in Help & Guides: Units and measurement basis

Current template: v5. The same downloads are on the Upload data sheet page. Workbooks made with earlier official templates still import, so existing data does not need to be re-entered.

One row = one measurement. The workbook has one worksheet, Data_Entry, with 74 columns; the CSV has the same columns. A sample measured for water holding capacity, solubility and hardness uses three rows, each with its own value, unit, basis and method. Keep the pre-filled version columns unchanged.

Source and method go on the same row. Give the citation or DOI (and your study_id) and the method columns (method family, reference, instrument, measurement temperature) on every row they apply to. A blank means “not reported”; nothing is inferred.

More in Help & Guides: Fill in the template

1. Upload a data sheet or add a record. Rows enter as pending.
2. Validation warnings (such as a missing DOI or an unusual pH) are flagged but do not block submission.
3. Likely duplicates of existing data are flagged before import.
4. You check the import batch row by row and create the records.
5. The Reviewer and Admin roles approve, reject or request corrections in the review queue.
6. Approved, in-scope records become visible to authorized workspace members. They are never public.

More in Help & Guides: Review workflow

• Viewer: no access to the shared research data: Browse Data, Analytics and Export are not available to this role at this stage; may use My Sources (private document workspaces) when an administrator grants that capability. Cannot approve; cannot contribute or comment.
• Contributor: uploads data sheets and adds records; edits their own records while they await a decision; trains predictive models on approved measurements; comments on records. Cannot approve; never edits another member's work.
• Reviewer: trains predictive models on approved measurements; sees every import batch and pending record; approves, rejects or requests corrections through the review queue; comments on records. Cannot upload or add records; never edits scientific fields.
• Editor: uploads data sheets and adds records; edits their own records while they await a decision; manages shared lab views, supporting datasets and model runs; trains predictive models on approved measurements; requests molecular dynamics runs on the configured simulation gateway; comments on records. Cannot approve; never edits another member's work.
• Admin: full access, including editing any record, deletion, the edit history, source decisions, invites, roles, workspace access grants and controlled vocabulary.

Reviewers do not edit scientific fields. Non-admin roles also need research workspace access, which an administrator grants. The database enforces these rules, not only the buttons you see.

Contributors correct their own records while they are pending, draft or marked “needs correction”, and every correction is re-validated on the server. A reviewer who finds a problem requests a correction with a note instead of editing the record. After approval the record is locked for its contributor, and an administrator can make a documented correction. Every change is recorded in the audit history.

Contributors cannot delete records. Ask an administrator through the feedback page. An administrator marks a record removed with a reason; it disappears from Browse Data and exports but stays in the audit history.

Each collaborator group is responsible for the accuracy of the data it contributes, for respecting the copyright terms of any literature it uploads, and for describing its analytical methods clearly so that comparability across laboratories can be judged.