Authors are required to include a 'Data availability' section in their manuscript. The intention of this section is to provide readers with information on where they can obtain the research data required to reproduce the work reported in the manuscript. Research data refers to the results of observations or experimentation that validate research findings. In this context, data includes "raw" data (eg, as recorded from apparatus) and processed data (eg, as derived from raw data, and/or output from code).
Authors of papers that are not based on original data, such as Review articles, need not include a 'Data availability' section.
The ‘Data availability’ section should appear immediately before the reference section and be comprised of the heading ‘Data availability’ followed by the inclusion of the following two sentences (if you are sharing data, please ensure you replace the sentences in square brackets with the appropriate links):
The raw data required to reproduce these findings are available to download from [INSERT PERMANENT WEB LINK(s)]. The processed data required to reproduce these findings are available to download from [INSERT PERMANENT WEB LINK(s)].
If the data cannot be shared at the time of submission, authors are required to replace one or both sentences with the appropriate justification:
- The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time due to legal or ethical reasons.
- The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time due to technical or time limitations.
- The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time as the data also forms part of an ongoing study.
If only part of the research data required to reproduce these findings can be shared at this time, authors are asked to use a combination of the text specified above to differentiate which research data are available and which are not. On submission of the manuscript, authors will be asked to confirm that the ‘Data availability’ section has been included, using the text specified above.
If authors have used and wish to share other forms of supplementary information associated with their paper (code, input files, etc) then they are welcome to do so. Authors that choose not to share this data do not need to include a justification for the absence.
Data repositories:
Authors are free to use whichever data repository that they wish to make their data public.
During the submission process authors are given the option of uploading their research data to Mendeley Data, a free, open repository for research data. By utilizing this option, authors’ research data will be stored in perpetuity with a citable DOI and shown alongside their published paper with bi-directional linking.
There are also different ways to link your datasets to your article. When available, you can also directly link your dataset to your article by providing the relevant information in the submission system. For more information, visit the database linking page.
For supported data repositories a repository banner will automatically appear next to your published article on ScienceDirect.
To find out more about Research Data at Elsevier and Materials Today, please visit: https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/research-data.
Data citation:
In addition to the 'Data availability' statement, references to all citable datasets used in the study should be included in your paper’s reference section and include the following elements: author name(s), dataset title, data repository, version (where available), year, and global persistent identifier. Add [dataset] immediately before the reference so it can properly be identified as a data reference. The [dataset] identifier will not appear in your published article.
If you have any questions or comments, you can contact us directly at: data.materialstoday@elsevier.com.