Data Sharing and Availability

Impact Surgery supports transparency, reproducibility, and responsible data sharing in surgical and perioperative research. Authors are expected to make the data underlying their findings available wherever possible and to describe clearly how the data supporting the results of a study can be accessed. All research articles must include a data sharing statement on the title page or in the manuscript, indicating whether data are available and, if so, under what conditions. Where data cannot be shared, the reasons for this must be stated.

Scope of data sharing

Data considered within scope include, but are not limited to, anonymised participant-level datasets, aggregate datasets, statistical analysis code, protocols, and materials required to interpret or reproduce the findings. Authors should ensure that shared data are sufficiently well documented to allow reuse by other researchers. The expectation to share data applies to all study designs where data sharing is feasible and appropriate. For some types of research, including qualitative studies or research involving sensitive personal data, full public data sharing may not be possible. In such cases, authors should explain the limitations and describe alternative access arrangements.

Repositories and access

Where public data sharing is not possible due to ethical, legal, or privacy constraints, authors should describe alternative access arrangements such as controlled-access repositories, data-use agreements, or provision of de-identified or synthetic datasets. At minimum, authors should share analysis code, variable definitions, and relevant metadata where feasible.

Ethical and legal considerations

Data sharing must comply with applicable ethical approvals, informed consent agreements, data protection regulations, and institutional or funder requirements. Authors are responsible for ensuring that data are properly anonymised and that sharing does not compromise participant confidentiality or privacy. Where data sharing is restricted by consent, legal requirements, or commercial sensitivity, authors must state this clearly in the data sharing statement and indicate whether any data can be shared in a limited or aggregated form.

Reporting of data availability

All manuscripts must include a data sharing statement specifying one of the following, as appropriate: that data are publicly available, available on reasonable request, available under controlled access, or not available. Where data are publicly available, the repository name and persistent identifier should be provided. The data sharing statement should be accurate at the time of submission and publication. Authors should ensure that links and access information remain valid.

Editorial assessment and compliance

Data sharing practices are considered as part of editorial and peer review assessment. Editors and reviewers may request clarification or additional information where data availability statements are unclear or incomplete. Failure to provide an appropriate data sharing statement, or to comply with declared data sharing commitments, may affect editorial decisions.

Post-publication responsibilities

Authors have an ongoing responsibility to ensure that data shared in accordance with their data sharing statement remain accessible for a reasonable period following publication. Where access conditions change, authors should notify the journal.