Without data, there is no research. There is simply a person stating a hypothesis and making assumptions as to the answers. On the other hand, the wrong data can take a hypothesis and send it down a rabbit hole of incorrect analysis and solutions.

It makes sense, then, that a researcher’s data, being integral to the conclusion, should be transparent to everyone else, as well. This is where a Data Availability Statement comes in. The argument isn’t whether this statement is essential. It’s a question of who should be able to access this statement, and exactly how important it is in the research hierarchy.

What’s a Data Availability Statement?

The term “data availability statement” refers to the document that is attached to, or inserted in, a manuscript. The point of this text is to explain where the data that supports the results that were reported alongside a published article is located.

This text should include hyperlinks that take the reader to any publicly archived datasets that were used to develop analysis or those that were created and generated throughout the study. This information is vital to research integrity because it supports the validation, replicability, and citation aspects of scientific publishing.

Types of Data Availability Statements

These statements are considered part of shared data, and therefore must adhere to FAIR principles, being findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Anyone interested in accessing the data should be able to download it easily in a way that can be used for further analysis. As an author, your data availability statements can come in different formats.

If you choose to do so, you can state that data is available upon request. This is the method preferred when the data includes sensitive information that would be unethical to make public knowledge. If you do use this data statement format, you will need to supply the reasons for the restriction and include the contact information of the person who grants access to the data.

Other options are to include the data in the supplementary material provided with the publishing, or with the manuscript itself. Sometimes, the data is already publicly available in a data repository, in which case all you need to do is provide the link to the information. As long as the repository is appropriate to the field of research in which your work is related, and it meets the criteria for that field to be legitimate, you’ve done your job providing the DAS.

Benefits Versus Drawbacks

The importance of data is inarguably a crucial part of all research. However, data availability statements do have benefits and drawbacks. One advantage is that this practice increases academic collaboration and expands the ability to speed up scientific achievement. Instead of repeating the data experiments, one need only find data that’s already available and utilize that approved information in a unique way. This argument claims that using data this way offers new insights on the topic.

However, when the data is sensitive, or it’s unethical to share it, the requirement for a data statement can become dangerous to anyone involved in the study. This is especially true in the field of healthcare, where a person’s medical diagnosis should remain theirs to disclose, but instead is available for those who can access the information.

Collaborate With Other Researchers With Impactio

Regardless of your view on data availability statements, the fact is that they’re a commonly required part of any research project. When you collaborate with others who add validity and new insights to your data, it can improve the research findings significantly.

The hard part is usually finding someone who has the knowledge and skills that you need for your unique research question. That’s where Impactio steps in to solve your problem. With Impactio’s global network of academics and scientific researchers, finding the right person to team up with becomes a simplified process.

View others’ academic portfolios and CVS, check to see if they’re available for new work and reach out to them. Your Impactio profile assures them that you’re a legitimate professional, too. Together, you can collaborate on a project, evaluate the data, and make an impact in the field of science. It all starts with Impactio.