Clinical Trials, Data Sharing, & Data Access

Policy Statement

Reports of clinical trials must include, in the Methods section, the name of the public trial registry and the registration number; PJN encourages prospective registration of clinical trials in a publicly accessible registry as a condition of consideration, consistent with ICMJE practice.

Authors are required to include a Data Availability Statement describing whether the data underlying their findings are available, and if so, where (for example, a public repository) and under what conditions; where data cannot be shared, for instance to protect participant privacy, the statement explains why. For research articles, particularly multi-site or industry-supported studies, PJN may ask the corresponding author to confirm they had full access to all study data and take responsibility for its integrity and the accuracy of the analysis.

1. Scope and Applicability

This policy applies to all research articles submitted to PJN, and specifically to clinical trial reports, at the time of submission and, where relevant, during review.

2. Definitions

Clinical Trial Registration: The recording of a trial's design and status in a recognized public registry before or at the start of participant enrollment.

Data Availability Statement: A short statement describing where supporting data can be found, or why it cannot be shared.

Data Access Confirmation: A statement by the corresponding author affirming full access to, and responsibility for, the accuracy of the study data.