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1. Purpose

The University of Malawi (UNIMA) is committed to promoting excellence in research, innovation, and knowledge dissemination. As part of this commitment, UNIMA recognises research data as a valuable scholarly output that underpins published findings. This policy establishes the principles and guidelines for the management, sharing, preservation, and ethical use of research data associated with publications in UNIMA journals. It aims to promote transparency, reproducibility, and the responsible stewardship of research outputs in accordance with open science principles.

Each journal published by UNIMA should include a general statement in its author guidelines to the effect that: "This journal follows the UNIMA Research Data Policy. Sharing of all relevant research data is strongly encouraged, and authors must add a Data Availability Statement to all original research articles."

2. Scope

This policy applies to all authors submitting original research to UNIMA journals that generate or rely on empirical data, including quantitative datasets, qualitative data, survey instruments, experimental materials, and code. It is binding on authors, editors, and reviewers of all journals published under the authority of t UNIMA.

3. Key Definitions

• Research Data: Any data, quantitative or qualitative, collected, observed, generated, or created for research purposes.
• Metadata: Information that describes the data, including how, when, and by whom it was collected.
• Data Repository: A digital archive where research data is stored, preserved, and made accessible.
• Data Sharing: Making research data available to other researchers or the public.

4. Policy Principles

4.1 Transparency and Reproducibility

Research data shall be managed and shared in a manner that promotes transparency and enables the verification and reproducibility of research findings.

4.2 FAIR Data Stewardship

Research data shall be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) to maximise their value, usability, and global impact. This policy aligns with global best practices in research data management, including the FAIR principles.

4.3 Ethical and Legal Compliance

All research data shall be collected, managed, and shared in accordance with applicable international ethical standards, legal frameworks, and institutional requirements, including the protection of human subjects and sensitive information.

Requirements for ethical approval, participant consent, and the protection of confidential data are set out in the Publication Ethics and Malpractice Policy.

4.4 Openness and Responsible Access

UNIMA journals promote open science and encourage data sharing in trusted repositories, while recognising the need for appropriate restrictions where data are confidential, sensitive, or subject to legal or commercial limitations.

4.5 Accountability and Data Integrity

Researchers are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, quality, integrity, and proper documentation of their data, as well as its retention and accessibility for verification and reuse.

4.6 Sustainability and Preservation

Research data shall be preserved in appropriate digital repositories to ensure long-term accessibility, usability, and continued scholarly value.

5. Data Availability

5.1 Data Availability Statement

Authors must include a Data Availability Statement (DAS) in all submitted manuscripts. The DAS must state either that data supporting the findings are openly available, providing the repository name, Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and any access conditions, or that the data are not available, with a clear explanation of the reason. Where data are withheld, authors must clearly justify this in the DAS. Acceptable grounds for withholding data include:

• The data contains sensitive or confidential information.
• There are legal or contractual restrictions on sharing.
• The data involves intellectual property or commercial interests; or
• Ethical approval conditions restrict disclosure.

5.2 Data Repositories

Authors are encouraged to deposit data in recognised public repositories. Where no suitable repository exists, data may be provided as supplementary material to the published article.

5.3 Data Citation

All datasets used or generated in the research must be properly cited in the reference list. Citations should include persistent identifiers such as DOIs where available.

5.4 Data Standards and Formats

Data should be shared in accessible, non-proprietary formats where possible. Appropriate metadata must accompany all datasets to ensure usability and interoperability.

6. Ethical and Legal Compliance in Data Sharing

Authors must ensure that data sharing complies with all applicable ethical standards, including informed consent requirements and the protection of sensitive or personal information. Personal or confidential data must be anonymised prior to sharing. Authors bear sole responsibility for ensuring that third-party datasets are used in compliance with the terms and conditions governing those datasets, including any restrictions on redistribution.

7. Responsibilities

7.1 Authors

• Ensure accurate and complete data reporting in manuscripts;
• Retain research data for a minimum period of five to ten (5–10) years after publication;
• Provide access to underlying data upon reasonable request; and
• Prepare Data Management Plans (DMPs) at the start of their research to outline how data will be collected, stored, shared, and preserved.

Author obligations regarding data integrity and cooperation with post-publication review are also addressed in Section 5.5 of the Publication Ethics and Malpractice Policy.

7.2 Editors

• Enforce compliance with this policy across their journals.
• Assess Data Availability Statements during the manuscript review process; and
• Reserve the right to request access to underlying data during review or post-publication.

7.3 Reviewers

• Consider the availability and adequacy of data when reviewing manuscripts; and
• Alert the editor where data availability appears inadequate or inconsistent with the reported findings.

8. Policy Review

The policy will be reviewed from time to time or as developments in publication ethics require. Any revisions will be communicated to all journal editors and made publicly available on the UNIMA website.