Data sharing practices and data availability upon request differ across scientific disciplines

Area of Science:

• Scientific research
• Data sharing
• Reproducibility

Background:

• Data sharing is crucial for scientific advancement, enabling large-scale analyses and reproducibility.
• Evaluating data availability across disciplines reveals significant differences in sharing practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess data availability in scientific publications across nine disciplines.
• To identify authors' concerns and reasons for declining data sharing.
• To propose improvements for research data sharing policies.

Main Methods:

• Survey of corresponding authors across nine disciplines in Nature and Science.
• Analysis of data availability statements and reasons for non-compliance.
• Cross-discipline comparison of data sharing practices.

Main Results:

• Data sharing has improved over the last decade, but significant disciplinary differences persist.
• Statements of data availability upon request are ineffective and should be disallowed.
• Researchers require stronger motivation and recognition for sharing data.

Conclusions:

• Journals should enforce immediate data availability rather than upon request.
• Incentivizing data sharing through recognition and career advancement is essential.
• Funding agencies and publishers must support data management and enforce sharing policies.