DATA SHARING & DATA AVAILABILITY POLICY

 

The Journal of Pak International Medical College (JPIMC) is committed to promoting transparency, reproducibility, and responsible research practices. Authors are encouraged to preserve and, where appropriate, share the data supporting the findings of their published research.

A Data Availability Statement is required for all original research articles and should clearly describe the availability of the data underlying the reported findings.

Purpose

This policy aims to:

  • Promote research transparency.
  • Improve reproducibility of scientific findings.
  • Encourage responsible data management.
  • Facilitate independent verification of published results.
  • Support ethical sharing of research data.

Data Availability Statement

All Original Articles, Clinical Trials, Observational Studies, and Systematic Reviews should include a Data Availability Statement before the References section.

The statement should specify:

  • Whether the data are publicly available.
  • Where the data can be accessed.
  • Any restrictions on access.
  • The conditions under which data may be shared.

Acceptable Data Availability Statements

Publicly Available Data

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are publicly available at:
Repository Name: __________________________
DOI/URL: _________________________________

Available on Request

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Restricted Data

The data are not publicly available because they contain confidential patient information but may be made available upon reasonable request, subject to approval by the relevant ethics committee and applicable regulations.

No New Data Generated

No new datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

Types of Data That May Be Shared

Authors are encouraged to share, where appropriate:

  • De-identified participant datasets.
  • Statistical analysis datasets.
  • Data dictionaries.
  • Study protocols.
  • Statistical analysis plans.
  • Survey instruments and questionnaires.
  • Codebooks.
  • Supplementary materials.

Patient Confidentiality

Data sharing must never compromise participant confidentiality.

Authors should:

  • Remove personal identifiers.
  • De-identify patient data.
  • Comply with applicable privacy laws and institutional requirements.
  • Ensure that data sharing is consistent with participant consent.

Data Repositories

Authors are encouraged to deposit research data in recognized repositories appropriate to their discipline.

Examples include:

  • Institutional repositories.
  • General-purpose repositories.
  • Subject-specific repositories.

Authors should provide the repository name and persistent identifier (DOI or accession number), where available.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for:

  • Maintaining accurate research records.
  • Preserving original datasets.
  • Providing data when requested by editors during the review process, where appropriate.
  • Ensuring that shared data accurately reflect the published results.
  • Complying with institutional, ethical, and legal requirements related to data sharing.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors may request access to supporting data during the editorial or peer-review process when necessary to verify the integrity of the research.

Editors will treat all confidential data appropriately and will not disclose unpublished information without permission.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers who receive access to confidential research data must:

  • Maintain confidentiality.
  • Use the data solely for peer-review purposes.
  • Not copy, distribute, or use the data for personal research.

Data Citation

Where datasets are publicly available, authors should cite them in the reference list using the appropriate citation format.

Data citations should include:

  • Author(s)
  • Dataset title
  • Repository name
  • Year
  • Version (if applicable)
  • DOI or persistent identifier

Exceptions

Data sharing may be limited where:

  • Patient confidentiality cannot be adequately protected.
  • Legal or regulatory restrictions apply.
  • Institutional agreements prohibit public sharing.
  • Commercial or intellectual property considerations exist.

Authors should clearly explain any restrictions in the Data Availability Statement.

Editorial Action

Failure to provide an appropriate Data Availability Statement may result in:

  • Request for revision before peer review.
  • Delay in editorial processing.
  • Request for clarification prior to publication.

Sample Data Availability Statements

Example 1

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Example 2

The datasets analyzed during the current study are publicly available in the [Repository Name] repository at DOI: ____________.

Example 3

The data are not publicly available because they contain confidential patient information but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and with ethics committee approval.

Editorial Workflow

 
Manuscript Submission
        │
        ▼
Data Availability Statement Check
        │
        ▼
Editorial Assessment
        │
        ▼
Peer Review
        │
        ▼
Verification (if required)
        │
        ▼
Publication
 

Commitment to Research Transparency

JPIMC supports responsible data sharing as an important component of high-quality biomedical research. The journal encourages authors to make research data available whenever ethically, legally, and practically feasible, thereby strengthening transparency, reproducibility, and confidence in published findings.