PCORnet® Playbook
Getting Started with PCORnet®
Knocking on the PCORnet® Front Door
Whether your request is large or small, all requests to access PCORnet resources begin with the PCORnet® Front Door. Our team of experts offers no-cost consultations on how to use PCORnet for your research. All initial consultations include a Study Feasibility Review to help you determine if the network is a good fit for your research goals. Depending on the needs of your study, your consultation may also include a Data Network Request and/or a Network Collaborator Request. The Playbook topic, Power Your Research describes each of these services in detail. Here we provide a high-level overview of what to expect when you contact the PCORnet® Front Door.
Managed by the Coordinating Center for PCORnet®, the PCORnet® Front Door offers flexible, study-specific support throughout all stages of research, from initial concept development to study completion. We encourage all types of researchers—academic, industry, and government investigators, clinicians, patient and community partners, and healthcare professionals—to reach out to the PCORnet® Front Door. Our team is eager to help you explore how the PCORnet infrastructure can support your research goals.
Last Updated: June 10, 2025
See Intro to PCORnet for the kinds of research the PCORnet infrastructure is well-suited to support.
Reach out: First, visit the PCORnet® Front Door and complete a brief six-question form with basic information about you and your research goals. While you don’t need all the details of your study at this stage, clear and thorough responses will help the PCORnet team understand your request and prepare for your consultation. A team member will contact you within one business day to request more information or schedule a consultation.
Work through the details: During the consultation, which may be done over email or in a meeting, you’ll have the opportunity to discuss your research with the PCORnet® Front Door team. This team includes staff from the Coordinating Center and research experts who will offer feedback, share examples of similar studies, and advise on whether PCORnet can support your research goals. The PCORnet® Front Door team can also help you create a budget for a PCORnet project or describe the network in a research proposal.
After your consultation, you will have a better understanding of:
- If the PCORnet infrastructure is a good fit for your study. For example, does the network have sufficient data to support your study? Does your study have a plan to ensure meaningful engagement of patients and community partners?
- The PCORnet resources and services the PCORnet® Front Door team recommends as next steps for your study. See Power Your Research for details on the specific process for available services.
Watch this video to learn more about the PCORnet® Front Door
What is a PCORnet® Study?
A PCORnet® Study uses the PCORnet infrastructure and resources to drive the future of patient-centered research that is meaningful to patients and their caregivers. PCORnet® Study designation represents more than access to PCORnet resources—it demonstrates your commitment to deep, intentional collaboration between the study team and patients.
To be designated a PCORnet® Study, your project must:
- Include at least two PCORnet® Clinical Research Networks (CRNs). Sites that are not partnered with the network may participate in PCORnet® Studies.
- Demonstrate how participants and patients are engaged throughout the study.
- Be committed to returning results to participants.
- Agree to regularly share study progress and best practices.
- Leverage the PCORnet® Common Data Model, as applicable.
PCORnet® Studies are designed specifically in service to the patient, from engagement in the design and conduct to dissemination of results. It is one way we help ensure research that matters to patients continues to progress—and, at the end of the day, that’s what the PCORnet is all about.
Russell Rothman
Principal Investigator at STAR, a PCORnet® Clinical Research Network
Becoming a PCORnet® Study offers several unique benefits.
- PCORnet Branding: Use the PCORnet name and logo to convey credibility.
- Expert Support: Receive guidance from experienced investigators throughout your study. PCORnet research experts can share lessons learned from other studies to help you address challenges and identify common benchmarks.
- Shared Learning: Learn from other PCORnet® Studies and get inspired by other pragmatic research designs and approaches to patient engagement.
- Increased Visibility: Broaden your study’s reach through PCORnet communication channels. Each PCORnet® Study is listed on the PCORnet.org website with a high-level overview of the study and links to publications. PCORnet® Studies may also be promoted in website news stories, quarterly newsletters, and network meetings.
Researchers may apply for PCORnet® Study designation through the PCORnet® Front Door.
Learn more about the benefits of using PCORnet for your research
“The PCORnet® Front Door team was exceptionally helpful. During the initial consult, the team identified the types of PCORnet resources most directly related to my proposal, and provided me with resources to better frame our request and understand the data model used by sites and networks.”
Keith Feldman,
PCORnet® Front Door requestor, Children’s Mercy Research Institute