Data Availability Policy

Data Availability and Reproducibility Policy

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) is committed to promoting transparency, reproducibility, and the integrity of scientific research. The journal recognizes that access to underlying data, code, and methodological details is essential for validating findings, enabling reuse, and advancing scientific knowledge. In alignment with internationally recognized best practices, including the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and global open science principles, JoMI requires authors to report their research in a manner that supports verification and reproducibility.

Data and Code Availability Requirements
Authors are strongly encouraged, and in certain cases required, to make all underlying data, code, and software associated with their study publicly available. Data should be deposited in recognized and reliable repositories such as Zenodo, Dryad, Figshare, and GitHub, as well as discipline-specific repositories including GenBank, PubChem, the Protein Data Bank, and the Protein Model Database, or other appropriate biological and domain-specific databases that ensure long-term preservation and accessibility. Deposited materials must be complete, properly documented, and accessible through persistent identifiers such as a DOI, accession number, or stable URL.

Data Availability Statement
All submissions must include a clearly labeled Data Availability Statement within the manuscript. This statement must specify whether the data and code are publicly available, the name of the repository in which they are deposited, and the corresponding DOI, accession number, or permanent URL. Where access is restricted, authors must clearly describe the conditions under which the data may be accessed and provide a justified reason for such restrictions.

Licensing of Data and Code (Recommended)
Authors are encouraged, where appropriate, to release datasets, code, and supplementary materials under open licenses such as the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) or equivalent licenses that permit reuse with proper attribution. Open licensing enhances transparency, reproducibility, and the global dissemination of research outputs. However, the selection of a license remains at the discretion of the authors, particularly where ethical, legal, institutional, or third-party constraints apply. Authors must clearly indicate the applicable licensing terms in the Data Availability Statement.

Restrictions and Ethical Considerations
JoMI acknowledges that certain datasets may be subject to ethical, legal, or privacy constraints, especially in studies involving human participants, sensitive information, or proprietary data. In such cases, authors must provide a clear and valid explanation for the restriction and ensure compliance with applicable regulations, institutional policies, and ethical approval requirements. Where possible, authors should provide mechanisms for controlled access by qualified researchers.

Reproducibility and Methodological Transparency
Authors are required to provide sufficient methodological detail to enable independent replication of their study. This includes comprehensive descriptions of study design, data collection procedures, analytical methods, statistical analyses, and software tools used, including version details. Any custom scripts, algorithms, computational workflows, and biological data processing pipelines should be shared or described in sufficient detail to allow reproducibility.

Editorial and Peer Review Considerations
Editors and reviewers may evaluate the availability, accessibility, and quality of underlying data and code as part of the peer review process. Manuscripts that do not include a Data Availability Statement or that fail to meet reproducibility standards may be returned for revision, delayed in processing, or rejected. The journal reserves the right to request access to underlying data during review for verification purposes.

Post-Publication Responsibility
Authors are expected to ensure the continued accessibility of shared data and code after publication. Any changes to data availability must be promptly communicated to the journal. Failure to comply with stated data-sharing commitments may result in corrective actions, including the publication of notices or retraction where necessary.

Commitment to Open Science
Through this policy, JoMI supports open science practices, enhances the reliability and reproducibility of published research, and promotes responsible data sharing in accordance with international standards and funding agency requirements.