Data Sharing Policy

Data Sharing Policy

Introduction
The Axis Journal of Agriculture & Biological Sciences (AJABS) is a strong proponent of open science and believes that sharing research data is fundamental to advancing scientific knowledge. This policy establishes clear expectations for data sharing to enhance the transparency, reproducibility, and utility of the research we publish in the agricultural and biosocial sciences.

Purpose
The primary purpose of this policy is to encourage authors to make the data underlying their findings publicly available. This practice facilitates the validation of results, enables secondary analysis and meta-research, fosters collaboration, and maximizes the return on investment in scientific research, ultimately accelerating progress in addressing global challenges in food security and sustainability.

Scope
This policy applies to all original research articles submitted to AJABS. It is particularly critical for manuscripts reporting experimental data, observational studies, and analyses where the findings depend on the underlying datasets.

Data Availability Statement
Authors are required to include a Data Availability Statement in their manuscript, typically before the References section. This statement must be explicit and detail one of the following:

  • The repository where the data have been deposited, along with a persistent identifier (e.g., DOI, accession number) and a direct link to the dataset.

  • The conditions under which the data can be accessed (e.g., upon reasonable request from the corresponding author) and any restrictions that apply.

  • A compelling rationale, such as legal or ethical constraints, if the data cannot be made publicly available.

Public Repositories
Authors are strongly encouraged to deposit data in a recognized, field-specific public repository that ensures long-term preservation and assigns a persistent identifier. Examples relevant to our field include but are not limited to:

  • General/Omics: Figshare, Zenodo, Dryad

  • Genomic Data: NCBI GenBank, EMBL-EBI

  • Agricultural Data: ICARDA Dataverse, Agri-Environmental Data Repository

Exceptions and Restrictions
AJABS acknowledges that legitimate reasons may restrict public data sharing, such as privacy concerns for human subject data, proprietary restrictions from industry partnerships, or national security regulations. In such cases, the Data Availability Statement must provide a clear and justified explanation for the restriction.

Ethical and Legal Compliance
Authors must ensure that data sharing complies with all applicable ethical and legal standards. This includes adhering to the terms of the informed consent obtained from participants, ensuring data is properly anonymized to protect confidentiality, and respecting all data ownership and licensing agreements.

Data Citation
To give proper credit and enable tracking of data reuse, all datasets that are cited in the manuscript must be formally referenced in the reference list. The citation should include the authors, year, dataset title, repository, and the persistent identifier (DOI).

Compliance and Enforcement
Adherence to this Data Sharing Policy is a mandatory condition for publication in AJABS. The editorial team will verify the Data Availability Statement during the peer-review process. Failure to comply with this policy, or providing insufficient justification for restrictions, may lead to the rejection of the manuscript.

Support for Authors
The AJABS editorial office is committed to supporting authors in meeting these requirements. Authors who need guidance on selecting an appropriate repository, preparing their data, or drafting the Data Availability Statement are encouraged to contact us for assistance.

Bibliography
This policy is informed by leading initiatives promoting data sharing in scholarly communication, including the ICMJE Recommendations, the COPE Guidelines, and the FAIR Data Principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable).