Data and Reproducibility

Introduction

Accesso Journal is committed to promoting transparent, reliable, and reproducible research. We believe that the availability of underlying research data, along with clear descriptions of methodology (including models, algorithms, and software), is fundamental to the scientific process. It enables verification, encourages collaboration, facilitates new research pathways, and ultimately enhances the credibility and impact of published work. This policy outlines Accesso Journal's expectations for authors regarding data sharing, data citation, adherence to reporting guidelines, and the overall reproducibility of their research, in line with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices.

Description

  • Research Data: Includes any information or material collected, observed, generated, or created to validate original research findings. This can include numerical data, textual data, images, audiovisual recordings, software, code, algorithms, mathematical models, protocols, and methods. For Accesso Journal, this particularly relates to data used in the development and testing of optimization models, industrial system simulations, ergonomic assessments, and decision-making frameworks.

  • Reproducibility: Refers to the extent to which consistent results can be obtained when an experiment or study is replicated. This can involve using the original author's data and analysis methods (computational reproducibility) or conducting a new study based on the original methods (empirical reproducibility).

  • Reporting Guidelines: Standardized checklists, flow diagrams, or structured text that guide authors in reporting specific types of research, ensuring completeness and transparency (e.g., guidelines for simulation studies, empirical studies, or systematic reviews).

The benefits of open data and reproducible research practices include increased trust in research findings, opportunities for data reuse and new discoveries, reduced duplication of effort, enhanced collaboration, and greater public trust in social sector, sustainable development, welfare and community empowerment.

Policy

  • Data Availability and Sharing:

    • Accesso Journal strongly encourages authors to make all research data, code, mathematical models, algorithms, and other materials necessary to understand, verify, and reproduce their research findings publicly available whenever ethically and legally permissible.

    • Authors are required to include a "Data Availability Statement" in the submitted manuscript, which will be published alongside the article, detailing how and where the underlying data can be accessed.

    • Acceptable methods for sharing data include deposition in recognized public data repositories, inclusion as supplementary material with the published article, or clear instructions for requesting access under specified conditions.

    • Accesso Journal recognizes that some data cannot be shared publicly for valid ethical reasons (e.g., protection of human subject confidentiality if data cannot be fully anonymized), legal constraints (e.g., proprietary data from industrial collaborations), or intellectual property considerations. In such cases, authors must clearly state these limitations in their Data Availability Statement and provide information on how qualified researchers may request access, if possible.

  • Data Citation:

    • Authors are required to properly cite all datasets (both their own and those created by others) used or generated in their research. Citations should be listed both in the main text where the data is discussed and in the reference list.

    • Accesso Journal strongly encourages the use of persistent identifiers (e.g., Digital Object Identifiers - DOI) for cited datasets.

  • Use of Reporting Guidelines:

  • Accesso Journal encourages authors to adhere to reporting guidelines that have been established and are relevant to their study design and specific research areas in the areas of social, sustainable development, welfare, and community empowerment. This helps ensure clarity, completeness, and transparency of their research reporting. Authors should refer to resources such as the Social Research Reporting Guidelines Network (e.g., Guidelines for Reporting Community Development and Empowerment Studies) or specific guidelines recommended for their type of study.Code, Software, Models, and Algorithms:

  • For research involving computational analysis, custom software, specific algorithms, or mathematical models, authors are strongly encouraged to make the relevant code, software, models, and algorithms publicly available.

  • These materials should be adequately documented so that other researchers can understand, implement, validate, and build upon them. These materials should also be properly cited within the manuscript.

  • Reproducibility of Results:

    • Authors bear primary responsibility for ensuring that methods, data, and related materials are described in sufficient detail and clarity to allow other researchers to attempt to reproduce the reported findings.

    • Accesso Journal may encourage or require the submission of materials that facilitate reproducibility, such as computational notebooks, detailed pseudocode, or scripts.

  • Data Integrity and Retention:

    • Authors are expected to retain the original research data and related documentation for a reasonable period after publication (e.g., 5-10 years, or as required by institutional/funder policies) and to provide access to this data upon reasonable request from the journal, reviewers, or readers, subject to ethical, legal, and confidentiality constraints.

    • Responsible data management practices should be applied throughout the research lifecycle.

  • Study Registration (if applicable):

    • Although less common for all study types within Accesso Journal's scope, for certain research designs such as systematic reviews or prospectively planned simulation studies, pre-registration in a publicly accessible registry is encouraged to enhance transparency and reduce publication bias.

Technical Measures to Archive and Implement the Policy

  • Data Availability Statement (DAS):

    • "The data presented in this study are openly available in [Repository Name] at [DOI/URL/Accession Number]."

    • "The data supporting the findings of this study are available as Supplementary Material with this article."

    • "The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, subject to [mention any terms, e.g., data sharing agreement, ethical approval]."

    • "Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study (e.g., for reviews or conceptual papers)."

    • "The data supporting the findings of this study are subject to [restrictions, e.g., privacy, proprietary rights]. De-identified data may be accessed from [contact point] by researchers who meet the criteria for access to confidential data."

    • The DAS is a mandatory component of all research articles submitted to Accesso Journal. This statement must be included within the manuscript (e.g., after the Conclusions section or before the References list).

    • The DAS must clearly explain how and where the data supporting the reported results can be found. Examples include:

  • Selection of Data Repositories:

    • Accesso Journal recommends that authors deposit their data in recognized, trustworthy, and preferably community-supported public repositories that guarantee long-term storage and access, and assign persistent identifiers (e.g., DOI). Examples include Zenodo, Figshare, Dryad, OSF, institutional repositories, or discipline-specific repositories relevant to engineering or computational science.

  • Formatting and Documentation of Data, Code, and Models:

    • Shared data should be well-organized, in commonly used and preferably open formats, and accompanied by clear documentation (e.g., README files, data dictionaries, codebooks) explaining the data structure, variables, units, and context necessary for interpretation and reuse.

    • Code and software should be commented and include information about dependencies, versions, and how to run the code. Models and algorithms should be described with adequate mathematical and procedural detail.

  • Citing Data, Code, Software, and Models:

    • These research outputs should be formally cited in the reference list, similar to other scholarly publications. Citations should include, if available: author/creator, title, year of publication/creation, repository name, version number, and persistent identifier (e.g., DOI or direct URL).

  • Peer Review Considerations:

    • Peer reviewers will be encouraged to consider the availability and adequacy of the described data and methods to enable reproducibility.

    • If data and code are shared, reviewers may be invited to access and assess this material as part of their review, if feasible and appropriate for their expertise.

    • Reviewers will also assess the clarity and completeness of the Data Availability Statement.

  • Reporting Guidelines:

  • Accesso Journal's "Instructions for Authors" will provide links to relevant resources for reporting guidelines, such as the Social Research Reporting Guidelines Network (e.g., guidelines for reporting community development and empowerment studies), and encourage authors to refer to guidelines specific to their methodology (e.g., for social studies studies, empirical research, development of social analysis methods).

  • Post-Publication Data Issues:

  • If concerns arise after publication regarding the availability, integrity, or interpretation of data, or the reproducibility of the research, Accesso Journal will investigate these matters according to COPE guidelines. This may involve contacting the authors for clarification, requesting access to the underlying data, or, if necessary, issuing a correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

  • Exemptions and Embargoes:

    • Authors who cannot share their data publicly due to compelling ethical, legal, or confidentiality reasons must clearly explain these limitations in their Data Availability Statement at the time of submission. The journal will consider such exemptions on a case-by-case basis.

    • If data is subject to an embargo period before public release (e.g., to allow authors time to file a patent), this must also be stated and justified in the DAS.

Accesso Journal believes that adherence to the principles of data sharing and reproducibility will contribute significantly to the quality and impact of research in the areas of social, sustainable development, welfare and community empowerment. and system optimization.