Research data

Research data are recorded material of a factual nature (in the form of numbers, text, graphics or sounds), which are necessary to evaluate research results. Research data are both raw data (obtained directly as a result of applying a research tool) and processed data.

Research data include: numerical data, text documents, notes, questionnaires, audio and video recordings, photos, software, computer simulation results, laboratory protocols, methodological descriptions, and so on.

The editors do not collect research data, do not require a data management plan to be submitted or deposited in a selected repository, but they do require authors to be ready to submit raw source data, particularly for review purposes and assessing the originality of the work. The research data provided are not published.

The editors encourage authors to provide research data by placing this in open-access repositories on the subjects studied. Information about such disclosure along with a DOI number or a data URL should be included in the article.

Any restrictions on access to the data used in the article must be reported to the managing editor. The editors reserve the right to reject a text if it is impossible to access the minimum set of data necessary to verify the results presented in the article.

Research requiring the approval of a bioethics committee

Research involving humans or animals should be conducted in accordance with the principles set out in the Declaration of Helsinki, and the author(s) should confirm that the relevant ethics committee has accepted the research procedures used in the conduct of the research project described in their manuscript. Such information should be provided in the article. At the request of the editorial office, the author is obliged to present the obtained consent or another document which allows the research to be carried out.

Patients and others involved in a research project have the right to privacy. Information identifying specific persons cannot be published, unless it is necessary, and the research participant or their legal guardian gives written, informed consent to the publication of their identity data. The editorial office has the right to request a scan of such a document.

Unfair practices

Fabricating and falsifying research results are a gross violation of fundamental ethical principles in science:

  • fabricating research results involves making them up and presenting them as real;
  • falsifying research results consists of changing research results or omitting inconvenient data.

Editors’ actions in the event of suspected data fabrication or falsification

  1. In the event of noticing any irregularities consisting of fabricating or falsifying data in a text submitted for publication, the editorial office conducts explanatory proceedings on this matter, following the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
  2. If, as a result of the explanatory procedure, the editorial office confirms that data have been fabricated or falsified, the work will be retracted from the editorial process (rejected) at every stage.
  3. If the fabrication or falsification of data is discovered after publication, the editors will retract the article from the website and indexing databases and indicate the reason for doing so.
  4. If the fabrication or falsification of data is confirmed during the explanatory procedure, the editor-in-chief will notify the institution employing the author.