DATA SHARING & RESEARCH TRANSPARENCY POLICY

DATA SHARING & RESEARCH TRANSPARENCY POLICY

Data Sharing & Research Transparency Policy

The Link Medical Journal of Health and Community Research (LMJHCR) supports responsible research transparency and encourages authors to make research data accessible, reusable, and verifiable.

Where appropriate and ethically permissible, authors are encouraged (and in some cases may be required) to share:

  • Raw data
  • Processed datasets
  • Statistical code
  • Questionnaires or tools used
  • Protocols
  • Metadata
  • Supplementary materials

except where privacy, confidentiality, or legal restrictions apply.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that shared data does not violate ethical standards.

Where Data Can Be Deposited

Authors may deposit data in any recognized repository, including:

General-purpose repositories

  • Zenodo
  • Figshare
  • Dryad
  • Open Science Framework (OSF)

Institutional repositories

  • University repositories
  • National digital archives

Domain-specific repositories (where applicable)

  • ClinicalTrials.gov (clinical trials)
  • PhysioNet
  • Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)
  • UK Data Service
  • Mendeley Data

Data Availability Statement (DAS)

A Data Availability Statement is required for all research articles.

Authors must include one of the following:

Example 1: Data Available
“The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in the Zenodo repository, at DOI: ______.”

Example 2: Data Available on Request
“The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.”

Example 3: Data Not Shared Due to Restrictions
“Data cannot be shared publicly due to confidentiality and ethical restrictions, but may be available upon request with institutional approval.”

Example 4: No Data Generated
“No new data were collected/created in this study.”

Confidentiality & Ethical Considerations

Data involving human subjects, medical records, or sensitive personal information must be de-identified and shared only with appropriate safeguards.

Authors must follow:

  • Informed consent requirements
  • Ethics committee approvals
  • Applicable data protection principles and local regulations

Data Citation Requirements

All shared datasets must be cited in the reference list with:

  • Author(s)
  • Year
  • Title
  • Repository name
  • DOI or permanent link

Code, Software, and Algorithm Transparency

Authors are encouraged to share:

  • Analysis code (R, Python, SPSS syntax)
  • Scripts used for reproducible analyses
  • Algorithms and parameters relevant to key findings

Code may be shared through:

  • GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket
  • Zenodo-linked repositories
  • Institutional repositories

Research Reproducibility

Authors must clearly describe:

  • Methods and procedures
  • Experimental design
  • Data sources
  • Inclusion/exclusion criteria
  • Analysis workflow

Misconduct Related to Data

If falsified, fabricated, manipulated, or unavailable data is suspected:

  • Editors may request raw data for verification
  • Manuscripts may be rejected
  • Published articles may be corrected or retracted
  • Institutions may be notified in serious cases

Journal Responsibilities

LMJHCR commits to:

  • Linking published articles to datasets where provided
  • Verifying Data Availability Statements
  • Supporting ethical and responsible data sharing

Exceptions

Data sharing is not required when:

  • Confidentiality or ethical restrictions apply
  • Legal agreements prohibit disclosure
  • Sensitive security issues apply

However, authors must still include a Data Availability Statement explaining the restriction.