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Data Availability Policy

Purpose

Verdant Legacy Publications is committed to promoting transparency, reproducibility, integrity, and openness in scholarly research. This Data Availability Policy outlines the requirements and expectations regarding the availability, accessibility, and sharing of research data supporting published articles. The purpose of this policy is to facilitate verification of research findings, encourage responsible data sharing, and enhance the reliability and reproducibility of scientific research.

Scope

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to journals published by Verdant Legacy Publications.

The term “research data” includes, but is not limited to:

  • Experimental measurements
  • Observational records
  • Survey responses
  • Statistical datasets
  • Laboratory records
  • Images and figures
  • Genomic and sequence data
  • Computational models
  • Software code
  • Supplementary materials
  • Any data supporting the conclusions of a published article

General Principles

Authors should ensure that research findings are supported by accurate, complete, and verifiable data. Where ethically, legally, and practically feasible, authors are encouraged to make supporting research data publicly available to facilitate validation, replication, and further scientific investigation.

Data sharing should be consistent with:

  • Ethical obligations
  • Participant confidentiality
  • Intellectual property rights
  • Institutional requirements
  • Funding agency requirements
  • Applicable laws and regulations

Data Availability Statement

All submitted manuscripts should include a Data Availability Statement indicating how supporting data can be accessed.

The statement should appear before the References section or in another designated location specified by the journal.

Examples of Data Availability Statements

Data Available in a Repository

“The datasets generated and analyzed during this study are available in the Zenodo repository at https://doi.org/xxxxx.”

Data Available Upon Request

“The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.”

Data Included in the Article

“All relevant data supporting the findings of this study are included within the article and its supplementary materials.”

Restricted Data

“The data supporting this study contain confidential participant information and are not publicly available. Access may be granted upon reasonable request and subject to ethical approval.”

Recommended Data Repositories

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

Examples include:

  • Zenodo
  • Figshare
  • Dryad
  • Harvard Dataverse
  • GenBank
  • Institutional repositories
  • Subject-specific repositories

Persistent identifiers such as DOIs are strongly encouraged.

Data Retention

Authors should retain original research data and supporting records for a reasonable period following publication.

As a general guideline, authors are encouraged to retain data for at least five years after publication, or longer where required by institutional policies, funding agencies, or legal obligations.

Editors may request access to underlying data during peer review or following publication if concerns regarding the validity of findings arise.

Verification and Reproducibility

Authors should provide sufficient information to enable:

  • Verification of results
  • Reproduction of analyses
  • Replication of research methods

Where specialized software, code, or computational methods are used, authors are encouraged to provide access to relevant scripts, algorithms, or methodological details.

Confidentiality and Sensitive Data

The journal recognizes that certain data cannot be shared publicly due to:

  • Participant privacy concerns
  • Confidentiality agreements
  • National security restrictions
  • Legal requirements
  • Indigenous knowledge protections
  • Intellectual property considerations

In such cases, authors should clearly explain the restrictions in their Data Availability Statement.

Human Participant Data

Research involving human participants must comply with:

  • Ethical approval requirements
  • Informed consent obligations
  • Privacy regulations
  • Institutional review board requirements

Personal identifiers should be removed or anonymized prior to data sharing whenever possible.

Data Integrity

Authors must ensure that:

  • Data are accurately reported.
  • Data have not been fabricated, falsified, or manipulated.
  • Analyses are based on authentic and verifiable information.

Any concerns regarding data integrity may be investigated under the journal’s Publication Ethics Policy.

Editorial Assessment

Editors may request:

  • Access to raw data.
  • Additional supporting documentation.
  • Clarification regarding data availability.
  • Evidence of repository deposition.

Failure to provide requested information may result in rejection, correction, retraction, or other editorial actions where appropriate.

Compliance with Funding Requirements

Authors are responsible for complying with data-sharing requirements imposed by:

  • Funding agencies
  • Research sponsors
  • Institutions
  • Government regulations

The journal supports responsible compliance with funder mandates relating to research data management and sharing.

Relationship to Other Policies

This policy should be read in conjunction with:

  • Publication Ethics Policy
  • Human and Animal Research Ethics Policy
  • Authorship Policy
  • Open Access Policy
  • Archiving and Digital Preservation Policy

Compliance with International Standards

This policy aligns with recommendations and best practices promoted by:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
  • FAIR Data Principles
  • Research Data Alliance (RDA)
  • International scholarly publishing standards

 

Policy Review

This policy may be reviewed periodically to reflect developments in data-sharing practices, technological infrastructure, and international standards.

Contact Information

Questions regarding research data availability, repository selection, or compliance requirements may be directed to:

Verdant Legacy Publications Email: editorial@verdantlegacy.org

Website: https://verdantlegacy.com