Raw Data retention policy

Raw Data Retention Policy

Authors are expected to retain the original raw data supporting the findings reported in their published work for a minimum of six years following publication.

Raw data may include, but are not limited to:

• Experimental datasets
• Laboratory records and notebooks
• Original imaging files
• Sequencing or computational output
• Statistical analysis files
• Software scripts or code
• Other materials necessary to verify or reproduce the reported findings

Authors should be prepared to provide access to relevant raw data upon reasonable editorial request, subject to applicable ethical, legal, institutional, and privacy considerations. Access to data may be requested during peer review, editorial assessment, post-publication evaluation, or investigation of potential concerns related to research integrity.

If data cannot be shared because of legal, ethical, contractual, privacy, or institutional restrictions, authors must clearly disclose these limitations at the time of submission and describe any conditions governing data access or availability.

Failure to retain relevant raw data or provide appropriate supporting documentation when reasonably requested may result in editorial review or investigation in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics policies and applicable COPE guidelines. When necessary, the journal may contact the authors’ institutions, funding agencies, or other appropriate bodies and may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions where warranted.