Clear Data Statement
Every research manuscript should include a clear statement explaining where supporting data can be found, or why data cannot be shared.
Research Transparency Guidelines
Data Availability Statement Guidelines for Authors
UnivColl Publications provides these guidelines to help authors prepare clear, ethical and publication-ready data availability statements for journals, books, edited volumes, book chapters, conference proceedings and research communications.
UnivColl Publications
Academic Publisher, Scholarly Publishing House and Open Access Publisher
Data
Availability clarity
Ethics
Privacy-aware sharing
Records
Repository and identifiers
Trust
Reader verification support
Authors should not make broad or unclear data claims. The statement should tell readers exactly
whether data are open, restricted, request-based, included in the article or not generated.
Clear Statement
Open, restricted or no data
Repository Guidance
Stable links and identifiers
Ethical Access
Privacy and consent protected
Data Citation
Dataset credit and traceability
Research Integrity
Transparent scholarly record
Guideline Overview
What Is a Data Availability Statement?
A data availability statement is a short declaration within a manuscript that explains whether the data supporting the research are available, where they are located, how they can be accessed and why any access restrictions apply. It helps readers, reviewers, editors and future researchers understand the evidence behind the article while respecting ethical, legal and practical limitations.
Responsible Access
Data sharing should support verification and reuse without violating privacy, consent, confidentiality, legal obligations or ethical permissions.
Repository Preference
Where appropriate, authors should use a reliable data repository, institutional archive or subject repository that provides a stable link or persistent identifier.
Research Integrity
Editors and reviewers may request underlying data, analysis files or documentation when needed to evaluate transparency, reproducibility or publication ethics concerns.
Scope of Guidelines
Where These Guidelines Apply
These guidelines apply across the UnivColl Publications scholarly publishing ecosystem. Journal-specific instructions, funder requirements, institutional rules or ethics committee conditions may add further requirements for particular disciplines or article types.
- Research articles, review articles using datasets, case studies, empirical studies and methodological papers
- Tables, figures, images, transcripts, survey instruments, statistical files, code, appendices and supplementary material
- Journal articles, book chapters, edited volume chapters, conference proceedings and special issue submissions
- Open data, restricted data, third-party data, public datasets, institutional records and data available on reasonable request
- Accepted manuscripts, corrected articles, published versions of record and post-publication data queries
Statement Elements
What Authors Should Include
A good data availability statement is specific, truthful, concise and easy to verify. It should avoid vague claims and should not promise access that cannot be provided after publication.
| Element | Guidance | Example Wording |
|---|---|---|
| Data Location | State where the data supporting the article can be accessed: repository, supplementary file, public database, institutional archive, appendix, author-held record or third-party source. | The datasets supporting this study are available in the named repository at the provided DOI or URL. |
| Persistent Identifier | Where available, provide DOI, accession number, permanent URL, handle, archive identifier, dataset version or catalogue number. | Repository name: Dataset title, version, DOI/accession number. |
| Access Conditions | Explain whether the data are open, embargoed, restricted, available on request or unavailable due to legal, ethical, commercial or privacy restrictions. | Data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request subject to institutional permission. |
| Ethical and Privacy Limits | For human participants, patients, minors, institutional records or sensitive communities, describe the restriction without revealing confidential information. | Individual-level data cannot be shared publicly because consent did not permit public release. |
| Reuse Information | If possible, mention the data licence, reuse conditions, citation requirement, code availability, documentation and file formats. | The dataset may be reused under the repository licence with citation of the dataset and article. |
| No New Data | For conceptual, theoretical, legal, review or opinion papers where no new data were generated, state this clearly. | No new datasets were generated or analysed during the preparation of this article. |
Common Statement Types
Ask Editorial Office
Choose the Statement That Matches the Research
Authors should select a statement type that honestly reflects the data used in the manuscript.
Open Repository Data
Use this when the supporting dataset is deposited in a public or institutional repository with a stable link, DOI, accession number or archive record.
Supplementary Data with Article
Use this when the data are included in the article PDF, HTML page, appendices or downloadable supplementary files hosted by the journal or publisher.
Public Third-Party Data
Use this when the analysis relies on data already available from government portals, public databases, archives, libraries or recognized institutional sources.
Restricted Data
Use this when the data cannot be released openly because of ethics approval, privacy law, consent limits, confidentiality, institutional restrictions or commercial sensitivity.
Data Available on Request
Use this only when open sharing is not possible or not appropriate. Authors should state who may be contacted and what conditions may apply.
No New Data Generated
Use this for theoretical, conceptual, doctrinal, historical, narrative review or commentary manuscripts that do not generate or analyse new datasets.
Author Templates
Sample Data Availability Statement Wording
Authors may adapt these templates according to the actual study, journal instructions, funder rules, ethics approval, repository record and data ownership conditions.
Open data in repository
The data supporting the findings of this study are available in [Repository Name] at [DOI/URL/accession number]. The dataset is available under the repository licence and should be cited as [dataset citation].
Data included in article/supplement
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this article and its supplementary files. Additional clarifications may be requested from the corresponding author where appropriate.
Data available on reasonable request
The data supporting this study are not publicly deposited because [brief reason]. De-identified data may be available from the corresponding author on reasonable request and subject to institutional, ethical or legal approval.
Restricted or confidential data
The data cannot be shared publicly because they contain confidential, sensitive or legally restricted information. Access may be considered only under the conditions approved by the relevant ethics committee or data controller.
Third-party data
This study used third-party data available from [source name] at [URL/identifier]. The authors do not own the data and access is subject to the source provider’s terms and conditions.
No new data
No new datasets were generated or analysed during the preparation of this article. The article is based on conceptual analysis, literature review or publicly available information cited in the references.
Repository and Identifiers
Make Data Findable, Citable and Stable
When data can be shared, authors should prefer stable repositories and identifiers that allow readers to locate the exact record supporting the article. Data citations and repository metadata help preserve research traceability beyond the article PDF.
A personal drive link may break, become private or change without record. A repository or
institutional archive is usually stronger for long-term scholarly communication.
- Prefer repositories that provide stable URLs, DOIs, accession numbers or long-term preservation commitments.
- Use subject-specific repositories where required by discipline, funder, institution or journal policy.
- Include enough metadata for readers to identify the dataset: creator, year, title, repository, version and identifier.
- Avoid personal cloud links as the primary data record unless no suitable repository is available and the link is stable.
- For large files, code, multimedia or raw instrument output, provide clear access instructions and file descriptions.
- Do not upload confidential, identifiable or legally restricted data to a public repository unless consent and permissions allow it.
- When datasets are updated, cite the exact version used in the manuscript to preserve reproducibility.
- If data are embargoed, state the embargo reason, expected availability date where possible and contact/access pathway.
Sensitive and Restricted Data
Open Sharing Is Encouraged Only When It Is Ethical and Lawful
Transparency does not require authors to expose private, confidential, legally restricted or ethically sensitive information. In such cases, authors should provide a careful restriction statement and, where possible, describe how qualified researchers may seek access under approved conditions.
Human Participant Data
Do not publicly share identifiable participant, patient, student, employee or respondent data unless consent, ethics approval and law clearly permit such sharing.
Minors and Vulnerable Groups
Use extra caution for data involving minors, vulnerable groups, protected communities or sensitive social, medical, legal or financial information.
Institutional or Government Records
Where data come from an institution, agency, department or administrative record, follow the source authority’s access and confidentiality rules.
Commercial or Proprietary Data
If data are owned by a third party or generated under commercial restrictions, state the access limitation and source terms without overstating availability.
Author Responsibilities
Responsibilities Before Submission and After Publication
The corresponding author should coordinate with all co-authors to ensure that the data statement is accurate, compliant with permissions and consistent with the manuscript record.
- Add a data availability statement in the manuscript before submission or at revision stage if requested.
- Ensure the statement is accurate, specific and consistent with the manuscript, tables, figures, methods and supplementary material.
- Deposit shareable data in a reliable repository where suitable, especially when data support the central findings of the article.
- Cite datasets, software, code, questionnaires or public databases used in the study when citation is required or useful for verification.
- Explain restrictions honestly where data cannot be shared due to participant privacy, consent, ethics approval, legal limits or third-party ownership.
- Avoid promising data access that cannot actually be provided after publication.
- Retain underlying records for a reasonable period according to institutional, funder, legal or journal requirements.
- Respond professionally to editorial or post-publication requests for data clarification, access route or correction of the statement.
Editorial Handling
How Editors May Review Data Availability Statements
Editors may check the statement for clarity, accuracy, ethical protection and consistency with the manuscript. This does not mean every dataset is independently audited in full unless required.
01
Submission Check
The editorial office may check whether the manuscript includes a data availability statement or whether a no-data statement is appropriate for the article type.
02
Clarity Review
Editors may ask authors to make the statement more specific by adding repository details, access conditions, DOI, accession number, supplementary file description or restriction reason.
03
Peer Review Support
Reviewers may evaluate whether the available data, documentation or supplementary files are sufficient to understand and assess the methods, results and conclusions.
04
Ethical Restriction Check
For sensitive data, editors may check that the statement protects privacy and follows consent, ethics approval, institutional permission or data controller requirements.
05
Publication Record
The final article may include the data statement with declarations, supplementary files, data citations or article metadata to support transparency and discoverability.
Final Author Checklist
Before You Submit the Manuscript
Use this checklist to avoid unclear data statements, broken links, unsupported access claims and post-publication correction issues.
If a journal, funder, institution or ethics committee has a stricter data-sharing requirement,
authors should follow the stricter requirement and disclose it clearly.
- Does the manuscript include a data availability statement?
- Does the statement explain whether data are open, restricted, request-based, included in the article or not generated?
- Are repository links, DOI, accession numbers or stable identifiers included where available?
- Are supplementary files clearly named and connected to the correct tables, figures or methods?
- Are privacy, consent, ethics approval and legal restrictions respected?
- Are third-party data sources, licence terms and access conditions properly identified?
- Is the dataset version cited or described so that the analysis can be understood later?
- Does the statement avoid vague wording such as “data available” without a real access path?
Publisher Position
Transparent Data Statements Strengthen Scholarly Trust
UnivColl Publications encourages responsible data availability practices that support reader understanding, ethical editorial evaluation, reproducibility where applicable and long-term confidence in the scholarly record.
Important Notice
Data Sharing Must Not Override Ethics, Consent or Law
Data availability statements should improve transparency while protecting participants, institutions and third-party rights. Authors remain responsible for ensuring that data release, repository deposit and supplementary files comply with applicable permissions.
Privacy Protected
Ethics Aware
Repository Ready
Reader Transparent
Guideline FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
These FAQs help authors, reviewers and editors understand how data statements should be prepared, reviewed and corrected when necessary.
Authors should contact the editorial office before submission when the dataset has complicated
privacy, consent, ownership, repository or embargo restrictions.
Is a data availability statement required for every manuscript?
A clear data statement is recommended for research manuscripts. For theoretical, conceptual, narrative or review articles with no new data, authors should state that no new datasets were generated or analysed.
Can I write “data available on request” only?
Yes, but it should not be used as a vague substitute for open sharing. Authors should explain why the data are request-based and identify the contact or approval pathway where appropriate.
What if my data contain personal or confidential information?
Do not share identifiable or confidential data publicly unless consent, ethics approval and law allow it. Provide a restricted-data statement explaining the limitation without revealing private information.
Should datasets be cited in the reference list?
Where a dataset, code package, public database or repository record is a citable scholarly object, authors should cite it with creator, title, year, repository, version and persistent identifier where available.
Can supplementary files replace a repository?
Supplementary files may be suitable for small supporting materials. For larger datasets, reusable research data, code or versioned records, a stable repository is usually more appropriate.
What happens if the data statement is inaccurate after publication?
The publisher may request clarification and, if needed, publish a correction, update a link, amend supplementary material or investigate a publication ethics concern.
Data Statement Guide
Connected Author Journey for Data Availability Statement Guidelines
Guidance for transparent data statements, access limits and research record clarity. Use the related author pages, publisher policies and official support routes below to move through the publication process with clarity, transparency and responsible scholarly practice.
Next Author Pages
Related Publisher Links
Responsible External Links
Open Accessreader visibility where applicable
Peer Revieweditorial and review workflow
Ethicsoriginality and declaration focus
Metadataauthor, DOI and record clarity