The International Journal of Clinical Studies and Medical Research (IJCSMR) supports the principles of transparency, reproducibility, and openness in scientific research. The journal encourages authors to share the data, materials, and supporting information underlying their published research whenever ethically, legally, and practically possible. This policy is aligned with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Policy Statement

Authors are encouraged to make the research data supporting the findings of their manuscripts available to editors, reviewers, and readers to promote transparency, facilitate verification of results, and enable future research.

Data sharing should comply with applicable ethical standards, institutional policies, funding agency requirements, and relevant laws governing privacy and confidentiality.

Types of Data

Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to share:

• Raw research data.
• Processed datasets.
• Statistical analysis files.
• Study protocols.
• Questionnaires and survey instruments.
• Code, software, or scripts used for analysis.
• Supplementary tables, figures, and appendices.
• Other materials necessary to reproduce or validate the reported findings.

Data Availability Statement

Authors should include a Data Availability Statement in their manuscript indicating the availability of the data supporting the study.

Examples include:

• The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available in a publicly accessible repository.
• The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
• All relevant data are included within the article and its supplementary materials.
• Data cannot be publicly shared due to ethical, legal, or confidentiality restrictions.

Data Repositories

Authors are encouraged to deposit research data in reputable institutional, subject-specific, or general-purpose repositories that provide persistent access and long-term preservation.

Where possible, datasets should be assigned a persistent identifier, such as a DOI, to facilitate citation and reuse.

Ethical and Legal Considerations

Data sharing must not compromise:

• Participant privacy and confidentiality.
• Patient rights.
• Informed consent agreements.
• Institutional or contractual obligations.
• National or international legal requirements.

Data containing personally identifiable information should be anonymized or de-identified before sharing.

Editorial Assessment

Editors may request access to the underlying data during the peer-review or editorial process to verify research findings or resolve questions regarding the integrity of the study.

Failure to provide requested data without a valid justification may influence the editorial decision.

Exceptions

The journal recognizes that unrestricted data sharing may not always be possible. Legitimate reasons for restricting access include:

• Protection of participant confidentiality.
• Legal or regulatory restrictions.
• Intellectual property considerations.
• National security concerns.
• Commercial confidentiality.
• Restrictions imposed by ethics committees or funding agencies.

Authors should clearly explain any limitations on data availability in their Data Availability Statement.

Citation of Shared Data

Authors are encouraged to cite publicly available datasets in the reference list using the appropriate citation format. Shared datasets should include sufficient information to enable identification and retrieval.

Commitment to Research Transparency

IJCSMR encourages responsible data sharing to enhance the transparency, reproducibility, and credibility of published research. By promoting the responsible sharing of research data, the journal supports scientific collaboration, facilitates the validation of research findings, and contributes to the advancement of medical science while respecting ethical, legal, and confidentiality obligations.