SND has released a new report, “An overview of publishers’ guidelines for sharing research data”, compiled by Björn Sjögren, researcher at Linköping University and former research data advisor at SND. The report examines how the world’s five largest academic publishers approach and regulate the sharing of research data.
The survey shows that all five publishers – Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, MDPI AG, and Taylor & Francis – have established data sharing policies. While they all encourage or require data sharing, the strictness of these requirements varies. Most policies rely on voluntary sharing, but some publishers mandate open sharing for specific types of data. One example is Springer Nature, which requires that certain types of data – such as DNA sequences, genetic variation data, and protein sequences – should be deposited in a public data repository when researchers publish in one of Springer Nature’s journals.
Different levels of data sharing
Wiley and Taylor & Francis have developed tiered data sharing policies to give researchers and journals more flexibility. These data sharing levels range from encouragement to requirements that shared data should be peer reviewed.
All the publishers included in the survey use what is known as Data Availability Statements (DAS), where researchers describe how their data can be accessed. At Springer Nature, Wiley, MDPI AG, and most Taylor & Francis journals, a DAS is required. Elsevier mainly encourages authors to include one.
Enforcement remains unclear
All five publishers recommend the use of digital repositories for data storage, but they rarely specify which repositories should be used. It is also unclear how compliance with the publishers’ data sharing policies is monitored.