Research Data Policy

Open research data: why we encourage it

In line with Slovenian open science policy and the open science requirements commonly used by public research funders (including ARIS), Image Analysis & Stereology supports and promotes open access to research data and related research outputs (e.g., code, models, protocols) underlying published articles.

Open research data increases transparency, enables verification and reproducibility of scientific conclusions, and maximizes the value and impact of research by allowing responsible reuse.

What we mean by “research data”

For this journal, “research data” may include (but is not limited to):
- image datasets (raw and processed), annotations, segmentations, ground truth labels
- stereological measurements, sampling designs, counting frames, bias/uncertainty estimates
-algorithms, scripts, pipelines, trained models, parameter files, and software configurations
-calibration data, phantoms, validation sets, and documentation required to reproduce analyses

Data availability is part of the publication record

Authors are expected to make research data as open as possible and as closed as necessary. When data cannot be fully open (e.g., privacy, safety, intellectual property, contractual limits), authors should provide open metadata and a clear description of access conditions (controlled access, embargo, anonymized derivative datasets, etc.).

To support clarity and good practice, each manuscript must include a Data Availability Statement describing where and how the data can be accessed, or why access is restricted.

Where to deposit data

Authors should deposit data in a trusted, long-term repository that:
-provides a persistent identifier (preferably a DOI),
-supports rich metadata and clear licensing,
-enables access control when needed.

Authors may use any appropriate discipline-specific or institutional repository. For authors in Slovenia, the editorial office can provide technical guidance for depositing research data in DiRROS (Digital Repository of Research Organisations of Slovenia), where suitable.

Timing

Data supporting the main findings should be made available no later than publication of the article (or, where justified, under a time-limited embargo with a clear end date). If the repository supports versioning, authors should reference the exact deposited version used in the study.

Sensitive or restricted data

If the dataset includes sensitive material (e.g., personal data, vulnerable groups, third-party restrictions, sensitive locations, or protectable intellectual property), authors should choose one or more of the following:
-deposit anonymized or de-identified data where feasible,
-deposit derived datasets that enable verification without exposing sensitive content,
-provide controlled and regulated access via the repository,
-provide open metadata and a documented procedure for qualified access requests,
-deposit analysis code and synthetic/test data enabling partial reproducibility.

“Data available upon request” should be used only when genuinely necessary and must include a  practical access route.

Licensing and FAIR principles

Authors are encouraged to follow FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). Where possible, data should be shared under an explicit open license (e.g., CC BY, CC0) that matches ethical/legal constraints and community norms.

Data citation (required)

Research data (and other reusable research outputs such as code or models) that underpin the article must be formally cited in the reference list, not only linked in the text. The citation should include: creator(s), year, title, repository, version (if applicable), and persistent identifier (DOI/PID).

Example dataset reference (DataCite-style):
Author, A.; Author, B. (2026). Dataset title: image annotations for… (Version 1.0) [Data set]. Repository Name. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxxxx