Data Availability Statement Generator
Say where each dataset behind your paper can be found, and copy a finished data availability statement. The generator handles repositories, controlled access for patient data, third-party data, embargoes and articles with no data, and flags wording that journals often send back. The example below is fictional.
Where are your data?
Add one entry per dataset if different parts of your data are shared in different ways.
- Dataset 1
- Dataset 2
Analysis code (optional)
Copy your statement
Data availability statement The anonymised questionnaire data are openly available in Dryad at https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.example. They are shared under a CC0 1.0 licence. The linked hospital records are not publicly available because they contain information that could identify patients. They are available from the Regional Health Data Access Committee subject to approval of a research protocol and a data sharing agreement (contact: data.access@example.org). The code used for the analyses is available at https://github.com/example-lab/questionnaire-analysis.
Runs in your browser; nothing is sent to a server. Your draft is saved on this device only.
Data availability statement examples
One example for each situation the generator covers. Replace the names and identifiers with your own.
Data in a public repository
The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.xxxxxxx. They are shared under a CC BY 4.0 licence.
Data in the article or supplement
The data that support the findings of this study are available within the article and its supplementary materials.
Patient data with controlled access
The data that support the findings of this study are not publicly available because they contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants. They are available from the Hospital Research Data Committee subject to approval of a study protocol and a data sharing agreement (contact: research.data@hospital.example).
Publicly available third-party data
The data analysed in this study were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/) and are publicly available there.
Licensed third-party data
The data that support the findings of this study were obtained from the national cancer registry. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under licence for this study; they are available from the national cancer registry subject to approval of an application to the registry.
Data under embargo
The data that support the findings of this study have been deposited in Dryad at https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.example and will be openly available from 30 June 2027.
Available on request
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. They are not publicly available because participants did not consent to public data sharing.
No data
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
What publishers ask for
| Publisher or group | What the policy asks |
|---|---|
| PLOS journals | All data needed to replicate the findings must be available at publication. Restricted data need a non-author contact, such as a data access or ethics committee. |
| Springer Nature and BMC | Data availability statements are part of the research data policy; BMC journals use the heading “Availability of data and materials”. |
| Wiley | Each journal states whether it encourages, expects or mandates data sharing; the statement is optional, expected or required accordingly. |
| Taylor & Francis | Each journal follows one of several data sharing policies, from a basic policy to open, FAIR data. |
| Elsevier | Research data policy encourages deposit and linking; many journals print a “Data availability” section. |
| ICMJE journals (clinical trials) | Since 1 July 2018, reports of clinical trials must include a data sharing statement. |
Policies differ between journals of the same publisher, so check your target journal’s instructions for authors. For how medical journals enforce these rules, see our guide to data availability statements in 2026.
Writing tips
- Be specific. Name the repository and give the DOI or accession number for each dataset, not just “in a public repository”.
- Describe every dataset. If survey data are open but linked records are restricted, say both. Add one entry per dataset in the generator.
- Explain restrictions. Give the reason, who decides on access and how to apply. A committee or data custodian lasts longer than an author’s email address.
- Deposit before you submit. Reviewers may want to see the data. Most repositories offer a private reviewer link and a reserved DOI.
- Keep it consistent. The statement should match the ethics approval, the consent form and any trial registration.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a data availability statement?
- A data availability statement is a short section of a research article that tells readers where the data behind the results can be found and how to get them: in a repository with a DOI or accession number, in the supplementary files, through a data access committee, from a third party, or not at all and why. Most publishers now require one for original research.
- Where does the data availability statement go in a paper?
- Usually in the end matter, after the main text and before the references, next to the funding, conflict of interest and author contribution statements. Some journals collect it in the submission form and print it themselves. Follow the heading your journal uses, such as “Data availability”, “Data availability statement” or “Availability of data and materials”.
- Is “data available on request” acceptable?
- It depends on the journal. Many still accept “available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request”, but some do not accept the authors as the only route to the data. PLOS journals, for example, ask for a non-author contact such as a data access or ethics committee when data are restricted. Studies have also found that many such requests go unanswered, so deposit the data in a repository when you can.
- How do I write a data availability statement for patient data?
- Explain why the data cannot be public, for example that they contain information that could identify participants, and say who controls access and on what conditions, such as a data access committee and a data sharing agreement. Give a durable contact that is not a single author. If an anonymised or summary version can be shared, deposit that openly and describe both.
- What should I write if I used publicly available data?
- Name the source and give its link or identifier, for example “The data analysed in this study were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/) and are publicly available there.” If you used the data under a licence that does not allow you to share them, say that and explain how others can apply to the provider.
- What if my article has no data?
- Use the standard wording: “Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.” This fits reviews of theory, editorials, commentaries and methods papers without data. A systematic review does analyse data, so describe where the extracted data and analysis files are instead.
- Which repository should I use?
- Use a discipline-specific repository if one exists for your data type, for example GEO or ArrayExpress for gene expression, SRA or ENA for sequences, or PDB for structures. Otherwise use a general repository that issues DOIs, such as Zenodo, Dryad, Figshare, OSF or Harvard Dataverse. The re3data registry lists repositories by subject.
- Do I need a DOI in the statement?
- Give a persistent identifier whenever you have one: a DOI for a dataset, or an accession number for discipline repositories. A bare repository name or a link to a personal folder is not enough for readers to find the exact files. Many repositories let you reserve a DOI before the data are public.
- Should the data availability statement mention code?
- Many journals ask for code availability in the same section or in a separate code availability statement. If you wrote analysis code, archive the version you used, for example a GitHub release saved to Zenodo, and cite its DOI. Choose “In a repository” under Analysis code to add the sentence.
- Is a data availability statement the same as a data management plan?
- No. A data management plan is written before or during a project, often for a funder, and describes how data will be collected, stored and shared. The data availability statement is published with the article and says where the data are now.
- Is my information stored anywhere?
- No. The generator runs in your browser and sends nothing to a server. Your draft is kept in this browser’s local storage so it is still there when you come back; use “Clear all” to remove it.
Sources
- PLOS. Data availability policy.
- Springer Nature. Research data policy.
- Wiley. Data sharing policy.
- Taylor & Francis. Understanding our data sharing policies.
- Elsevier. Research data policy.
- ICMJE. Clinical trials: registration and data sharing.
- Wilkinson MD, Dumontier M, Aalbersberg IJ, et al. The FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship. Sci Data 2016;3:160018.
- re3data.org: registry of research data repositories.
Content updated November 1, 2026. This is an independent tool and is not affiliated with any publisher.