Public Availability of Research Data in High-Impact Journals
Author Information
Author(s): Alsheikh-Ali Alawi A., Qureshi Waqas, Al-Mallah Mouaz H., Ioannidis John P. A.
Primary Institution: Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Hypothesis
What is the current status of making research data publicly available in highly-cited journals?
Conclusion
A substantial proportion of original research papers published in high-impact journals are either not subject to any data availability policies, or do not adhere to the data availability instructions in their respective journals.
Supporting Evidence
- 88% of the 50 journals had a statement related to public availability and sharing of data.
- 30% of the reviewed papers were not subject to any data availability policy.
- 59% of papers covered by data availability policies did not fully adhere to the instructions.
Takeaway
Many research papers don't share their data publicly, which makes it hard for other scientists to check their work or build on it.
Methodology
We reviewed the first 10 original research papers of 2009 published in the 50 original research journals with the highest impact factor and documented their data availability policies.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the focus on high-impact journals, which may have different practices compared to lower-impact journals.
Limitations
The study only reviewed papers from 2009 and may not reflect current practices; it also focused on high-impact journals, which may not represent all journals.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.04
Statistical Significance
p=0.04
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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