Data Sharing Policy

Purpose
To promote transparency, reproducibility, and scientific integrity, [Journal of the Faculty of Medicine Baghdad] requires authors to share relevant data underlying their published research. This policy aligns with international standards for responsible data sharing in biomedical research.

Scope
This policy applies to all original research articles submitted to [Journal of the Faculty of Medicine Baghdad], including clinical trials, observational studies, laboratory investigations, and meta-analyses.

Data Availability Statement
Authors must include a Data Availability Statement in their manuscript, specifying:

  • Whether data are publicly available
  • Where and how the data can be accessed
  • Any restrictions due to privacy, legal, or ethical concerns

 Types of Data Required
Authors are expected to share:

  • Raw data supporting main findings (e.g., de-identified patient data, lab measurements)
  • Protocols, statistical analysis plans, and code used for data processing
  • Metadata and documentation to ensure usability

 Repositories
Authors should deposit data in recognized public repositories appropriate to their field, such as:

Data Type

Recommended Repository

Genomic Data

NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), EMBL-EBI

Clinical Trial Data

ClinicalStudyDataRequest.com, Vivli

General Research Data

Dryad, Figshare, Zenodo

 Ethical Considerations
Patient confidentiality must be protected. All shared data must be de-identified.

  • Authors must obtain informed consent for data sharing when applicable.
  • Data sharing must comply with local and international regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).

 Exceptions
Data may be withheld under the following conditions:

  • Legal or contractual restrictions
  • Ethical concerns regarding participant privacy
  • Proprietary or commercial limitations

In such cases, authors must clearly justify the restriction in the Data Availability Statement.

Peer Review and Editorial Oversight
Editors and reviewers may request access to data during the review process. Failure to provide data may result in rejection or retraction.

Post-Publication Access
Authors are encouraged to maintain data availability for a minimum of 5 years post-publication. Persistent identifiers (e.g., DOIs) should be used to ensure long-term access.

Compliance and Enforcement
Non-compliance with this policy may lead to:

  • Manuscript rejection
  • Retraction of published articles
  • Notification to authors’ institutions or funders