A data availability statement (DAS) names where a study’s underlying data live, how a reader can obtain them, and — if access is restricted — why. Every major publisher now requires one on original research articles, but the accepted wording differs by house style: Nature wants a “minimal dataset” reference, Wiley applies a four-tier mandate scale, and MDPI insists on a statement even when no new data exist. This guide gives compliant, ready-to-adapt templates for Nature, Elsevier, Wiley, Springer and MDPI, plus the mistakes that get statements rejected at copyediting.
A data availability statement is a short, standardised section — usually placed immediately before the reference list — that tells readers, reviewers and funders exactly where the data, code and materials behind a paper’s findings can be found.
- What is a data availability statement and why is it mandatory?
- How do Nature, Elsevier, Wiley, Springer and MDPI requirements compare?
- What are the house-style templates for each publisher?
- Data availability statement: frequently asked questions
- What does this mean for authors and institutions?
What is a data availability statement and why is it mandatory?
A DAS exists to make published findings verifiable and reusable without forcing every reader to email the corresponding author. It typically states the repository name, a persistent identifier such as a DOI or accession number, and any conditions restricting access.
The mandate is no longer publisher-specific goodwill. Under UKRI’s Common Principles on Data Policy, research articles resulting from UK public funding must carry a data availability statement even where no new data were generated or the data cannot be shared. Cranfield University’s Research Data Management guidance confirms this applies “even where there are no data associated with the article or the data are inaccessible.”
A compliant statement generally needs:
- Location — the named repository, database or supplementary file where the data sit.
- Persistent identifier — a DOI, accession number or stable URL pointing to the exact dataset version used.
- Access conditions — any embargo, licence, or ethical/legal/commercial restriction, stated with a justified reason rather than a vague reference to “sensitivity.”
- Scope — confirmation of whether the statement covers raw data, code, or both.
How do Nature, Elsevier, Wiley, Springer and MDPI requirements compare?
All five publishers require a DAS on original research, but the strictness of enforcement and the accepted wording differ enough that a statement written for one house style can fail copyediting at another.
| Publisher | Mandate level | Distinctive requirement | Typical placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature (Nature Portfolio) | Mandatory, all original research | Must identify the “minimal dataset” needed to interpret, verify and extend the findings; bare “available on request” is discouraged without justification | Dedicated Data Availability section before references |
| Elsevier | Varies by journal — encouraged to mandatory | Journal-specific; supports direct repository linking (e.g. Mendeley Data) alongside the statement | Before the reference list |
| Wiley | Mandatory across all journals, on a four-tier scale (Encourages / Expects / Mandates / Mandates with Peer Review) | Statement must explicitly confirm or deny that data were shared, plus persistent identifier if shared | Before references or in a dedicated Data Availability Statement section |
| Springer | Mandatory, all original research | Six standard house-style scenario templates covering repository, embargo, restricted, third-party, supplementary and no-new-data cases | Before references |
| MDPI | Mandatory, all published articles regardless of whether new data exist | Own suggested template wording published per journal; statement required even for reviews with no dataset | End of article, before references and acknowledgements |
What are the house-style templates for each publisher?
Each template below follows the wording accepted by that publisher’s editorial system. Replace bracketed placeholders with the specifics of your dataset.
Nature / Nature Portfolio template
Nature’s editorial policy requires the statement to name the minimal dataset, not just “the data.”
“The [minimal dataset] necessary to interpret, replicate and build upon the findings reported in this article are available in the [REPOSITORY NAME] repository, [PERSISTENT IDENTIFIER/DOI]. [Additional derived data] are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.”
Elsevier template
Elsevier journals vary from encouraging to requiring data sharing, so check the specific journal’s Guide for Authors before submission.
“The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in [REPOSITORY NAME] at [DOI/URL], reference number [REFERENCE NUMBER]. Data supporting the reported results are also linked directly from this article via [Mendeley Data/other repository].”
Wiley template
Wiley requires the statement to explicitly confirm or deny data sharing under its four-tier policy.
“The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in [REPOSITORY NAME] at [DOI/URL]. Scripts and analysis code used to generate the results are archived at [REPOSITORY/DOI]. No restrictions apply to data access.”
Springer template
Springer Nature publishes six standard scenario templates; the most common are reproduced here.
- Open repository: “The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in the [REPOSITORY] repository, [PERSISTENT IDENTIFIER and LINK].”
- Available on request: “The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.” (Use sparingly — many funders now reject this as the sole statement.)
- No new data: “Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.”
MDPI template
MDPI requires a statement on every article, including reviews with no underlying dataset.
“The data presented in this study are openly available in [REPOSITORY NAME] at [DOI/reference number]. Restrictions apply to the availability of [dataset], which were used under licence for this study.” Or, where no data exist: “Not applicable.”
What makes a DAS non-compliant?
Editorial teams reject statements that describe data without making them locatable. Cranfield University’s Research Data Management service flags four recurring failure patterns:
| Failure pattern | Example of the problem |
|---|---|
| Contact-only access | “Data available on request” with no repository, no identifier, no named contact route |
| No persistent identifier | “Data are available in a public, open access repository” — repository unnamed, no DOI or accession number |
| Wrong section placement | Data access details buried inside the Methods section instead of a dedicated statement |
| Ambiguous non-answer | “Not applicable” given with no explanation of whether data exist and were withheld, or never existed |
Data availability statement: frequently asked questions
What is a data availability statement example?
A standard example reads: “The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in [repository name] at [DOI], reference number [reference number].” This wording — recommended by Taylor & Francis and mirrored by most publishers — names the repository, provides a persistent identifier, and needs no further explanation from the author.
How do I fill in a data availability statement?
Describe how the data supporting your reported results can be accessed. If the data sit in a repository, include a hyperlink and a persistent identifier such as a DOI or accession number. If access is restricted, state the reason — ethical, legal or commercial — rather than leaving the restriction unexplained.
What is an example of a data availability statement in RSC journals?
The Royal Society of Chemistry recommends: “The code for [description] can be found at [URL] with [DOI]. Data for this paper, including [data types], are available at [repository name] at [URL].” RSC separates code and data availability into distinct sentences rather than one combined statement.
What is a data availability statement in Sage Open journals?
Sage requires the statement to include information on where the data supporting the article’s results can be found, including hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets that were analysed or generated during the study. Sage explicitly treats the DAS as a submission requirement, not an optional courtesy.
What does this mean for authors and institutions?
Publisher requirements are converging on the same core demand — a named repository, a persistent identifier, and a justified reason for any restriction — even though the accepted wording still varies by house style. Authors submitting to multiple journals across a career should keep one canonical, fully specified statement per dataset and adapt only the surface wording to match the target publisher’s template.
For institutions, the practical implication is upstream: research data management support should hand authors a dataset DOI before submission, not after acceptance, because every publisher template above assumes the identifier already exists. Statements built around “available on request” are increasingly treated as non-compliant by funders as well as publishers, so that phrasing should be a fallback, not a default.
