ASTRO Journals' Data Sharing Policy and Recommended Best Practices.

Area of Science:

• Scientific Publishing
• Open Science
• Data Management

Background:

• Transparency, openness, and reproducibility are key principles in scientific publishing.
• Despite their importance, widespread data sharing, particularly for clinical trial data, remains uncommon.
• Growing interest from various stakeholders highlights the need for standardized data sharing practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the increasing importance of data sharing in scientific research.
• To implement a clear data sharing policy for authors submitting to ASTRO journals.
• To promote best practices for data availability statements.

Main Methods:

• Development of a new data policy by ASTRO.
• Creation of a guide for authors on best practices for data sharing.
• Mandating data availability statements in journal submissions.

Main Results:

• ASTRO has established a formal data sharing policy.
• Authors are now required to provide data availability statements.
• The policy clarifies how shared data can be accessed.

Conclusions:

• ASTRO's policy aims to enhance transparency and reproducibility in scientific publishing.
• The new guidelines encourage authors to share their data.
• This initiative promotes greater openness in clinical trial data dissemination.