Axis Journal of Medical and Biosocial Sciences (AJMBS)

Data Availability

Data Availability and Research Transparency Policy

Axis Journal of Medical and Biosocial Sciences (AJMBS)

1. Commitment and Philosophy

The Axis Journal of Medical and Biosocial Sciences (AJMBS), published by Axis Academics Limited (UK), is committed to promoting research transparency, reproducibility, and open science. Responsible data sharing enhances the verification of findings, supports interdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthens the scientific record across medical, biological, and biosocial research domains.

This policy aligns with international best practices, including the ICMJE Recommendations, FAIR Data Principles, and COPE guidelines.

2. Scope and Applicability

This policy applies to all original research articles submitted to AJMBS. It also extends, where applicable, to systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and other data-driven studies.

The policy covers all underlying data and supporting materials necessary to:

  • Validate findings
  • Reproduce results
  • Enable secondary analysis

This includes datasets, codebooks, protocols, and analysis scripts.

3. Data Availability Statement (Mandatory)

All manuscripts must include a Data Availability Statement within the main text (before references), clearly specifying one of the following:

  • Publicly Available Data:
    Data are available in [repository name] with [persistent identifier such as DOI/URL].
  • Data Available on Request:
    Data are not publicly available due to [reason, e.g., privacy or ethical restrictions] but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
  • Data Embedded in Article:
    All relevant data are included within the article and its supplementary materials.
  • Third-Party Data:
    Data were obtained from [source] and are available with permission from the respective provider.
  • Embargoed Data:
    Data will be made publicly available in [repository] after [embargo date] due to justified reasons.
  • Data Not Available:
    Data cannot be shared due to ethical, legal, or commercial restrictions. A clear justification is required.

4. Data Deposition and Repository Standards

Authors are strongly encouraged to deposit data in recognized public repositories that ensure long-term preservation and access.

Repositories should:

  • Provide a persistent identifier (e.g., DOI, accession number)
  • Ensure open access or controlled access with clear conditions
  • Support rich metadata and documentation

Examples include general repositories (e.g., Figshare, Zenodo, Dryad, Harvard Dataverse, OSF) and discipline-specific repositories in medical, biological, and biosocial sciences.

Data should be shared in non-proprietary, machine-readable formats (e.g., CSV, TXT, XML) and accompanied by sufficient documentation (e.g., readme files, codebooks) to ensure usability.

5. Ethical, Legal, and Privacy Considerations

Protection of participant confidentiality is paramount, particularly in studies involving human subjects.

Authors must ensure:

  • Compliance with ethical approvals and institutional regulations
  • Adherence to informed consent agreements, including provisions for data sharing
  • Full de-identification/anonymization of datasets to prevent re-identification
  • Compliance with applicable data protection laws (e.g., UK GDPR where relevant)

Restrictions due to legal, ethical, or commercial reasons must be clearly stated.

6. Data Citation

All publicly available datasets used in the study must be formally cited in the reference list, including:

  • Dataset authors
  • Repository name
  • Persistent identifier (e.g., DOI)

This ensures proper academic credit and recognition of data as a scholarly output.

7. Compliance and Verification

Compliance with this policy is mandatory for publication.

  • The editorial team will verify Data Availability Statements during peer review
  • AJMBS reserves the right to request underlying data at any stage
  • Failure to comply or provide adequate justification may result in:
    • Rejection
    • Post-publication correction or retraction in line with COPE guidelines

8. Support and Guidance

AJMBS recognizes that data sharing may be complex, particularly in medical and biosocial research involving sensitive data.

Authors are encouraged to seek guidance on:

  • Suitable repositories
  • Data anonymization
  • Preparing Data Availability Statements

Support is available via: Admin@Axisacademics.uk

9. Archiving and Accessibility

AJMBS ensures long-term preservation and accessibility of published content through the PKP Preservation Network (PKP-PN).

10. Policy Foundations

This policy is informed by internationally recognized frameworks:

  • ICMJE Recommendations
  • FAIR Data Principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)
  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
  • Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines