Data Availability and Research Transparency Policy

This policy defines the principles of data availability, research transparency, and reproducibility of results in materials submitted to and published in the journal.

The journal recognizes that a transparent description of methods, data, calculations, software code, and other materials used in conducting research contributes to the verifiability of scientific results, responsible publication practice, and trust in published articles.

1. General Principles

Authors must present research results clearly, accurately, and in good faith.

The manuscript must contain a sufficient description of the methods, approaches, calculations, models, equipment, software, data sources, and other elements of the research necessary for understanding and, where applicable, reproducing the results obtained.

Requirements for the availability of data and materials are applied with due regard to the nature of the research, field of science, methodology used, legal restrictions, ethical requirements, and third-party rights.

If the research does not involve the use of a separate dataset, software code, experimental materials, or other additional research materials, authors are not required to create such materials specifically for publication.

2. Research Transparency

Authors must describe the research in such a way that readers, reviewers, and the editorial office can understand:

  • the aim and objectives of the research;
  • the methods and approaches used;
  • data sources, where applicable;
  • the conditions under which the experiment, modelling, calculations, or analysis were conducted;
  • the software, equipment, or tools used, if they are significant for the research;
  • the main stages of data processing or obtaining results;
  • the limitations of the research, if they are important for interpreting the results.

The description of the research must be sufficient for scientific assessment of the results presented.

3. Data Availability

If the research is based on data, authors must provide information about what data were used and how they may be made available to readers, reviewers, or the editorial office, where applicable.

Data may include, in particular:

  • experimental data;
  • measurement results;
  • calculation data;
  • numerical modelling data;
  • tables of values;
  • raw or processed datasets;
  • materials necessary to verify the results presented.

Where possible, authors should indicate where the data used in the research are available. This may be a repository, electronic archive, supplementary material to the article, a link to an open source, or another reliable means of access.

If data cannot be made openly available, authors should, where necessary, indicate the reason for the restriction.

4. Data Availability Statement

Where applicable to the nature of the research or required by the editorial office, authors may provide a data availability statement.

Such a statement may include information on:

  • whether the data used in the research are available;
  • where and under what conditions they are available;
  • whether there are any restrictions on access to the data;
  • whether the data can be provided upon reasonable request;
  • why the data cannot be made openly available, where applicable.

For example, authors may use one of the following statements:

  • The data used in this study are available in [name of repository or source] at [link].
  • The data supporting the findings of this study may be provided by the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
  • No separate datasets requiring open access deposit were used in this study.
  • Access to the data is restricted due to [state the reason for restriction, for example legal, ethical, confidential, or contractual restrictions].

The statements above are examples and may be modified by authors depending on the nature of the research, the type of data, and the conditions of access to them.

5. Software Code, Calculations, and Modelling Materials

If the results of the article substantially depend on software code, algorithms, calculations, numerical modelling, or special software tools, authors must describe them clearly enough for scientific assessment of the research.

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to indicate:

  • the name of the software;
  • the software version;
  • the main parameters of calculations or modelling;
  • the algorithms or methods used;
  • the conditions under which the calculations were performed;
  • a link to available code, scripts, or supplementary materials, if they are openly available.

If software code cannot be made openly available, authors should be prepared to provide the editorial office with an explanation of the reasons for restricting access.

6. Supplementary Materials

If additional materials are necessary for understanding or verifying the research results, they may be submitted together with the manuscript or upon request by the editorial office.

Supplementary materials may include:

  • extended tables;
  • additional graphs or images;
  • raw data;
  • calculation files;
  • software code;
  • descriptions of methods;
  • additional explanations related to the experiment, modelling, or analysis.

The editorial office may request such materials from authors if they are necessary to clarify, verify, or assess the results presented.

7. Restrictions on Access to Data and Materials

The journal recognizes that not all data, materials, or code can be made openly available.

Restriction of access may be acceptable if the data or materials:

  • contain personal or confidential information;
  • are protected by third-party rights;
  • are subject to legal, ethical, or contractual restrictions;
  • relate to commercial, official, or other protected information;
  • cannot be distributed without special permission;
  • require restricted access for other justified reasons.

In such cases, authors should, as far as possible, describe the reasons for restricting access and provide sufficient information to assess the reliability of the research without violating the relevant restrictions.

8. Data from Open Sources

If the research uses data from open sources, authors must properly indicate such sources and, where possible, provide links to them.

When using open data, authors must comply with the terms of use, licensing, and citation requirements applicable to those data.

If open data have been modified, processed, or combined with other data, this must be clearly stated in the manuscript.

9. Responsibility of Authors

Authors are responsible for the reliability, accuracy, and good-faith presentation of data, calculations, code, images, graphs, tables, and other materials included in the manuscript.

Authors must ensure that:

  • data and results are presented correctly;
  • research methods are described clearly enough;
  • the data sources used are properly indicated;
  • links to data, code, or supplementary materials are correct and working, if such links are provided;
  • restrictions on access to data or materials are disclosed honestly and with proper justification;
  • the materials presented do not violate third-party rights.

The presentation of unreliable, fabricated, falsified, or improperly modified data constitutes a violation of publication ethics.

10. Role of Reviewers and the Editorial Office

Reviewers and the editorial office may assess whether the description of data, methods, calculations, code, and other materials is sufficient for scientific evaluation of the manuscript.

Where applicable to the nature of the research, the editorial office may request additional explanations, original materials, data, code, or calculations from authors if they are necessary to clarify or verify the results presented.

Failure to provide necessary explanations or materials without sufficient justification may be taken into account by the editorial office when making a decision on the manuscript.

11. After Publication

After publication of an article, authors must inform the editorial office if they discover a significant error in the data, calculations, code, methodology, or other materials that affects the results or conclusions of the article.

If problems related to the reliability of data, research transparency, or reproducibility of results are identified after publication, the editorial office may consider publishing a correction, expression of concern, or retraction in accordance with the relevant journal policy.

12. Relationship with Other Journal Policies

This policy is applied together with other journal policies, including:

  • Publication Ethics;
  • Peer Review Policy;
  • Authorship and Contributorship Policy;
  • Conflicts of Interest Policy;
  • Plagiarism and Similarity Check Policy;
  • Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies Policy;
  • Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions Policy;
  • Complaints and Appeals Policy;
  • Copyright & Licensing Policy.

If a matter is related to several policies at the same time, the editorial office considers it comprehensively, taking into account all applicable requirements.

13. Responsibility of the Editorial Office

The editorial office seeks to ensure the transparency, verifiability, and integrity of published materials, taking into account the nature of the research and applicable restrictions.

Decisions related to data availability, supplementary materials, verification of results, or editorial measures are made by the journal’s editorial office in view of the materials submitted, reviewers’ reports, applicable journal policies, and publication ethics requirements.

The editorial office reserves the right to update this policy to bring it into line with developments in international scholarly publishing practice, requirements for research transparency, and responsible publication conduct.