Does the journal have any submission requirements for experimental data?
Yes, many peer-reviewed academic journals require authors to submit, share, or provide detailed access to the experimental data underlying their research findings. Common requirements include depositing datasets in recognized repositories or providing them as supplementary materials alongside the manuscript.
Specific requirements vary significantly by journal and discipline but frequently mandate adherence to FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). Essential considerations include specifying the data repository name and accession number, providing comprehensive metadata for interpretation, ensuring data formats are widely usable, guaranteeing proper anonymization of sensitive participant data, and complying with ethical approvals regarding data sharing. Authors must consult the journal's specific "Guide for Authors" for precise mandates.
Submitting experimental data ensures research transparency, facilitates reproducibility and verification of results by reviewers and readers, and enables data reuse in future studies or meta-analyses. This practice is fundamental to rigorous scientific inquiry, fosters trust, accelerates discovery, and maximizes the long-term research value generated by the experiments. Journals increasingly emphasize this for the integrity and advancement of the field.
