Every SSG research article includes a Data Availability Statement. It tells readers where the data behind the findings can be found, and how they can get it. SSG encourages authors to share data openly. It does not refuse an article only because data cannot be made public, provided the authors give a valid reason.
Data, Code and Materials Availability
Version 2.0 · Effective from 6 October 2026
1. Acceptable statements
| Situation | Example wording |
|---|---|
| Data in a public repository (preferred) | "The data supporting this study are openly available in [repository] at https://doi.org/[DOI]." |
| Data within the article | "All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this article and its supplementary files." |
| Data available on request | "The data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request." Authors must actually reply to such requests. |
| Restricted data | "The data are not publicly available because of [privacy / ethical / commercial / legal reason]. They are available from [named body] subject to [conditions]." |
| No data | "No new data were created or analysed in this study." (for example, a theoretical study or a narrative review) |
2. Repositories and citation
Data should go in a recognised repository that issues persistent identifiers, such as Zenodo, Figshare, Mendeley Data, Dryad, or a subject or institutional repository. Datasets are cited in the reference list with their DOI, in the same way as articles.
3. Code, models and materials
- Custom code, scripts, and computational models needed to reproduce the results are shared through a repository, such as GitHub archived to Zenodo. Otherwise, the authors explain why they cannot be shared.
- For engineering studies, enough detail is given for others to repeat the work. This includes material properties, mix designs, test standards (for example ASTM, EN, or ACI), the software name and version, and model input parameters.
- For numerical simulations, the authors describe the mesh, boundary conditions, and validation against experimental or benchmark data.
4. Raw data for editors
During review or after publication, editors may ask for the raw data or original images, so they can assess the work or look into a concern. If authors cannot provide them without a good reason, the manuscript may be rejected, or the article corrected or retracted.
5. Supplementary material
Supplementary files are peer-reviewed together with the manuscript. They are published as they were submitted, without copy-editing. They must not contain information that is essential to understanding the main conclusions. That information belongs in the article itself.