NEXO Researcher
NEXO's scientific research program on learning and diagnostic reasoning.
What it is
NEXO's program for researchers and academic institutions that study how students and health professionals learn and reason when facing a diagnostic case. Each study needs its own question, protocol and ethics approval before any data is used.
What it is not
- It is not an open database, and it does not sell or hand over data.
- It does not use patient data. NEXO cases are fictional, built from classic presentations described in the literature.
- It does not assess anyone's professional competence. Results describe performance in a training game with fictional cases.
- Being part of the program does not, by itself, come with payment, the Max plan, a badge, authorship or access to data.
- Taking part in another NEXO program, such as Creators, Curator or Closer, does not give access to data.
Example questions
- At which clue players reach the right diagnosis, by specialty and by case difficulty
- Whether repeated, spaced practice is associated with reaching the right diagnosis at an earlier clue on new cases in the same specialty
- Whether performance on the same case differs across NEXO's languages
Data and ethics
Ethics approval first. No data is extracted or analyzed before the study is approved by a research ethics committee.
Transparency. Any use of player data in research is disclosed in NEXO's privacy policy before it happens.
Aggregated by default. The default is synthetic data or aggregated tables, with a minimum number of people per group. Replacing an identifier with a code does not make data anonymous.
No raw database. Names, email addresses, account identifiers, payment data and security logs do not leave NEXO, and no one receives the whole database.
The minimum for each question. Each study receives only what it needs, under terms that prohibit re-identifying people, linking with other databases and passing data to third parties.
Optional participation. When a study requires consent, that consent is separate, specific, optional and revocable. Using NEXO never depends on agreeing to take part in research.
Minors. Studies are designed with added protection for minors, for example, by enrolling only adults who consent.
Independence. NEXO reviews results only for privacy, security and confidential information, and does not veto unfavorable, neutral or negative results. NEXO's ties and conflicts of interest are declared in any publication.
Authorship
Authorship follows the four criteria of the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors): substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data; drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content; final approval of the version to be published; and accountability for all aspects of the work. Contributors who meet fewer than all four criteria are acknowledged.
In the program, providing data, funding, general supervision or taking part in a NEXO program is not enough for authorship. Authors, roles and the publication plan are set in writing at the start of each study.
How to take part
If you are a researcher affiliated with a teaching or research institution, you can propose a study by writing to scientific@nexo.wiki.br with:
- Your name, institution, position and a link to your CV (ORCID or equivalent)
- Your research question in one paragraph
- Whether your institution already has a principal investigator for the study and an ethics committee that would review it
Sending a proposal does not give access to data. Access depends on the study's ethics approval and follows the rules on this page.