Data Availability Policy

Journal: Journal of Materials for the Built Environment (JMBE)
Policy Version: 1.0
Effective Date: September 2026

1. Purpose

Journal of Materials for the Built Environment (JMBE) supports the responsible sharing of research data to promote transparency, reproducibility, verification, reuse, and further research.

Authors are encouraged to make the data, materials, code, and other research outputs supporting their published findings available to the research community whenever ethically, legally, and practically possible.

A Data Availability Statement (DAS) is required for all research-based submissions.

2. Data Availability Statement

Authors must provide a clear statement describing how the data supporting the findings of the manuscript can be accessed.

The Data Availability Statement should indicate whether the supporting data are:

• publicly available;

• available from a repository;

• available upon reasonable request;

• included within the article or supplementary materials; or

• unavailable, with an appropriate explanation.

The statement should be included in the manuscript and may also be requested during submission.

The Data Availability Statement should accurately reflect the actual availability of the data.

3. Examples of Data Availability Statements

Authors may use or adapt one of the following examples where appropriate.

Publicly Available

The data supporting the findings of this study are openly available in [Repository Name] at [DOI or persistent link].

Available in a Repository

The data generated and/or analyzed during this study are available in [Repository Name], [DOI or persistent identifier].

Available on Reasonable Request

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Included in the Article or Supplementary Materials

All data supporting the findings of this study are contained within the article and its supplementary materials.

Restricted Data

The data supporting the findings of this study are not publicly available because of [privacy, confidentiality, contractual, legal, or other applicable restrictions], but may be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request subject to the relevant restrictions.

No Data Were Generated

For articles that do not generate or analyze research data:

No new datasets were generated or analyzed during this study.

The wording should be adapted to accurately describe the circumstances of the research.

4. What Data Should Be Shared?

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to share research outputs necessary to understand, evaluate, and reproduce the reported findings.

Depending on the nature of the study, these may include:

• raw or processed experimental data;

• measurement datasets;

• material characterization data;

• structural or mechanical testing data;

• thermal, acoustic, or environmental performance data;

• microscopy or imaging data;

• computational datasets;

• simulation outputs;

• building performance datasets;

• life-cycle assessment data;

• environmental monitoring data;

• survey or observational datasets;

• geographic or spatial datasets;

• source code;

• analytical scripts;

• models and modelling inputs;

• algorithms;

• protocols;

• supplementary calculations; and

• other research materials necessary to support the findings.

The level and type of data sharing expected may vary according to the discipline and research methodology.

5. Data Repositories

Where possible, authors are encouraged to deposit supporting data in a recognized, stable, and preferably discipline-appropriate repository.

Examples include:

• Zenodo;

• Figshare;

• Dryad;

• Mendeley Data;

• institutional repositories; and

• established subject-specific repositories.

Authors should provide persistent identifiers, such as a DOI, where available.

Authors should avoid relying solely on personal websites or temporary file-sharing services for long-term preservation of research data.

6. Data Documentation

Shared datasets should be accompanied by sufficient documentation to allow users to understand the data appropriately.

Where relevant, authors should provide:

• dataset descriptions;

• variable definitions;

• units;

• experimental or collection procedures;

• processing methods;

• metadata;

• relevant methodological information;

• file descriptions;

• codebooks;

• software or version information; and

• appropriate licenses or usage conditions.

Authors should make reasonable efforts to ensure that shared datasets are understandable and usable by qualified researchers.

7. Data and Reproducibility

Where practical, authors are encouraged to provide sufficient supporting information to allow qualified researchers to reproduce or independently assess the reported analysis.

Depending on the study, this may include:

• experimental protocols;

• computational methods;

• model parameters;

• source code;

• analysis scripts;

• supplementary calculations;

• relevant datasets; and

• other supporting materials.

For computational studies, authors are encouraged to provide executable code or sufficient methodological information where feasible.

8. Sensitive, Confidential, or Restricted Data

JMBE recognizes that some research data cannot be made publicly available.

Restrictions may arise from:

• personal or sensitive information;

• participant confidentiality;

• proprietary information;

• commercial confidentiality;

• contractual obligations;

• intellectual-property restrictions;

• national or local regulations;

• security considerations;

• third-party ownership; or

• other legitimate legal or ethical requirements.

Authors should not publicly disclose information where doing so would breach applicable obligations.

Where data cannot be openly shared, authors should provide a clear explanation in the Data Availability Statement and describe, where possible, how qualified researchers may obtain access under appropriate conditions.

9. Human Participant Data

Where research involves human participants or personal information, authors must protect participant privacy and confidentiality.

Authors should not publicly release identifiable personal information unless:

• appropriate informed consent has been obtained; and

• disclosure is legally and ethically permitted.

Where necessary, datasets should be anonymized, de-identified, aggregated, or otherwise appropriately protected before sharing.

Ethical approval and consent requirements remain the responsibility of the authors and relevant institutions.

10. Survey, Interview, and Behavioral Data

For studies involving surveys, interviews, observations, behavioral research, or similar human-subject data, authors should consider:

• participant privacy;

• informed consent;

• anonymization;

• confidentiality;

• ethical approval; and

• restrictions imposed by the study protocol.

Where the underlying data cannot be publicly shared, the Data Availability Statement should explain the restriction.

11. Geospatial, Urban, and Built-Environment Data

JMBE may publish studies involving:

• GIS datasets;

• urban spatial data;

• public-space observations;

• environmental monitoring;

• building occupancy data;

• mobility datasets;

• landscape data; and

• other location-based information.

Authors should consider whether such data may reveal:

• personal identities;

• private locations;

• sensitive facilities;

• household information; or

• other protected information.

Where full public release is inappropriate, authors should provide an appropriate access arrangement or explain why the data cannot be shared.

12. Materials and Physical Research Samples

Where research involves physical materials, samples, specimens, or fabricated prototypes, authors are encouraged to provide sufficient information to support replication.

Where practical, this may include:

• material composition;

• source information;

• processing parameters;

• fabrication conditions;

• sample dimensions;

• testing procedures; and

• relevant standards or protocols.

Physical samples are not required to be deposited unless otherwise specified by the journal or relevant discipline.

13. Code, Software, and Computational Materials

Where computational methods materially contribute to the research, authors are encouraged to share relevant code or software where feasible.

Where code is shared, authors should provide:

• a repository or persistent link;

• version information;

• dependencies;

• instructions for use where reasonably practicable; and

• an appropriate license.

Where code cannot be shared because of legal, proprietary, security, or other legitimate restrictions, authors should explain the limitation where appropriate.

14. Third-Party Data

Authors using data obtained from third parties are responsible for respecting applicable:

• licensing conditions;

• intellectual-property rights;

• contractual restrictions;

• confidentiality requirements; and

• attribution requirements.

Third-party datasets should not be publicly redistributed where such redistribution is prohibited.

Where appropriate, authors should provide information enabling qualified readers to identify or access the original data source.

15. Data from Public Sources

Data obtained from public databases, government repositories, institutional datasets, or other openly accessible sources should be appropriately cited.

Authors should identify the relevant source and, where possible, provide:

• dataset name;

• repository or provider;

• version or release date;

• persistent identifier; and

• access date where appropriate.

Public availability does not remove the requirement for appropriate citation and acknowledgment.

16. Data Sharing and Research Integrity

Authors must not:

• fabricate datasets;

• falsify or selectively manipulate data in a misleading manner;

• misrepresent the availability of data;

• provide false repository links;

• selectively disclose data in a manner that materially misrepresents the research; or

• otherwise use data-sharing statements to create a misleading impression of transparency.

Where the journal has credible concerns about the accuracy or integrity of shared data, the matter may be assessed in accordance with the Research Misconduct Policy.

17. Data Accessibility During Peer Review

Editors and reviewers may request access to supporting data, code, or other research materials where this is necessary to assess the manuscript.

Authors should provide reasonable access where:

• the materials are necessary to evaluate the research;

• sharing is legally and ethically permissible; and

• the request is relevant to the editorial assessment.

Where materials cannot be shared, authors should provide an appropriate explanation.

The journal may take restrictions or legitimate confidentiality requirements into account when assessing a request.

18. Data Availability and Peer Review

Providing a Data Availability Statement is part of the manuscript submission requirements.

However, the absence of publicly accessible data does not automatically make a manuscript unsuitable for publication.

Editors should assess the availability of research data in the context of:

• the research methodology;

• ethical and legal restrictions;

• disciplinary norms;

• the significance of the data to the reported findings; and

• the authors' stated reasons for restricted access.

19. Data Citation

Where research data are deposited in a repository and are intended for reuse, authors are encouraged to cite the dataset appropriately.

Where a persistent identifier is available, it should be included in the reference list or cited in the manuscript in accordance with the journal's reference style.

Authors are encouraged to provide credit to dataset creators and repositories where appropriate.

20. Data Licensing

Where authors make research data publicly available, they are encouraged to provide an appropriate license describing permitted reuse.

The license should be compatible with:

• the authors' rights;

• funder requirements;

• repository requirements; and

• third-party rights, where applicable.

Authors should not apply a license to data they do not have the right to license.

21. Long-Term Preservation

Authors are encouraged to use repositories and storage arrangements that support long-term preservation and access.

The journal encourages the use of:

• persistent identifiers;

• stable repository locations;

• appropriate metadata; and

• recognized archival or preservation infrastructure.

Authors remain responsible for ensuring that their deposited datasets remain appropriately accessible where continued access is part of their stated Data Availability commitment.

22. Exceptions and Special Circumstances

JMBE recognizes that data-sharing practices differ across disciplines and research contexts.

Reasonable exceptions may apply where data sharing would:

• violate ethical requirements;

• breach participant confidentiality;

• conflict with legal requirements;

• infringe third-party rights;

• breach contractual restrictions;

• compromise security; or

• create other significant and legitimate risks.

Authors should explain relevant restrictions clearly rather than simply stating that data are unavailable.

The journal may request additional clarification where necessary.

23. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

• the Data Availability Statement is accurate;

• shared data correspond to the published research;

• repository information and persistent links are correct;

• appropriate permissions have been obtained;

• confidential or personal information is protected;

• third-party restrictions are respected;

• datasets and other research outputs are properly documented; and

• data are not misrepresented or selectively presented.

24. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors should:

• ensure that a Data Availability Statement is provided where required;

• consider the appropriateness of the authors' stated data-access conditions;

• respect legitimate confidentiality and legal restrictions;

• request clarification where statements appear incomplete or inconsistent; and

• escalate credible data-integrity concerns in accordance with journal policy.

Editors should not require public release of data where doing so would clearly violate legitimate ethical, legal, or contractual obligations.

25. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers may comment on whether:

• sufficient supporting information has been provided;

• the Data Availability Statement appears consistent with the manuscript;

• important data or methodological materials are missing; or

• the stated level of transparency is appropriate for the study.

Reviewers must respect confidentiality and should not request access to restricted data for purposes unrelated to legitimate peer review.

26. Post-Publication Data Issues

If concerns regarding the availability, integrity, or reliability of research data arise after publication, JMBE may request clarification, supporting information, or access to relevant records.

Depending on the outcome, the journal may publish:

• a correction;

• an updated Data Availability Statement;

• an Expression of Concern;

• a retraction; or

• another appropriate editorial notice.

Post-publication concerns will be handled in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics Policy, Research Misconduct Policy, and Corrections and Retractions Policy.

27. Policy Review

JMBE will periodically review this policy to reflect developments in:

• research-data management;

• open science;

• reproducibility;

• repository infrastructure;

• privacy and data protection;

• funder requirements; and

• scholarly publishing standards.

The current version of the policy will be maintained on the journal website.

28. Contact

Questions regarding data availability, data sharing, repositories, or Data Availability Statements may be directed to:

Editorial Office
Journal of Materials for the Built Environment (JMBE)
Sunlit Grove Publishing
Email: contact@sunlitpub.com