Research Data and Data Availability Policy

Every submitted manuscript must include a section entitled “Data Availability Statement”. It must identify the supporting data, their location and any access restrictions. The submission-system statement must match the manuscript.

For original research, data necessary to understand and verify the findings must be available to editors and reviewers during assessment and, unless a justified restriction applies, publicly accessible by publication.

Relevant materials include raw and processed analytical data, spectra, chromatograms, electrochemical measurements, crystallographic files, synthesis and characterisation records, computational inputs and outputs, and analysis code. Documentation must explain experimental conditions, units and processing.

Use a suitable discipline-specific repository, or an institutional repository, Zenodo or Figshare where appropriate. Identify and cite deposited datasets using persistent identifiers, preferably DOI links. Supplementary information may hold supporting materials where appropriate.

Privacy, consent, legal obligations, third-party licensing, intellectual property or security may justify restrictions. State the specific reason, responsible custodian and permitted access procedure. “Available on request” alone is insufficient. Restrictions remain subject to editorial assessment.

During double-blind review, use anonymous repository access links where available and provide identifying information separately to the editorial office. Include public dataset links in the final statement.

Manuscripts generating or analysing no new datasets must state this explicitly. Authors remain responsible for accurate, lawful sharing and continued accessibility. Editors may request supporting data, require corrections or decline manuscripts whose findings cannot be adequately assessed.

Statement examples

Replace all bracketed placeholders with accurate information.

A. Repository data

The raw and processed [data types] supporting this study are openly available in [repository] at [DOI or persistent URL], under [accession number, if applicable].

B. Article and supplementary files

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this article and its supplementary information files.

C. Restricted access

The supporting datasets are not publicly available because [specific restriction]. Access requests should be submitted to [custodian and contact or procedure] and are subject to [specific approval conditions]. [Describe any data that can be shared publicly.]

D. No new datasets

No new datasets were generated or analysed during this study. All sources used are cited in the article.

Example D applies only when no new datasets were generated or analysed; it does not automatically apply to every review article.