Abstract:

Collaboration among researchers is the driving force behind scientific development, with data sharing being a fundamental practice for transparency, reproducibility, and accessibility in science. Measures exist to promote this exchange; however, differences persist in data deposition practices across various fields of knowledge. In the field of education, there is still a lack of evidence regarding raw research data deposition practices.

This study examines the editorial policies of a sample of 60 journals selected from the three thematic categories of Education in the Web of Science Core Collection database. The results show that, out of the 20 journals reviewed in the category of Education and Educational Research, 16 promote data deposition in repositories without specifying particular platforms. Some publishers, such as Elsevier, have partnerships with specific repositories. Sage Journals stands out with a policy requiring authors to share their data or provide a detailed explanation. Springer recommends deposition in public repositories and suggests a list of platforms. Wiley and Taylor & Francis emphasize the importance of depositing data in public repositories but do not specify any particular ones.

In contrast, only 6 of the 20 journals in the category of Education, Scientific Disciplines have specific policies on data deposition. Wiley, Taylor & Francis, and Springer are present, as well as Ubiquity Press, which mandates data deposition and the preparation of an access report.

In the Education Special category, 16 of the 20 journals address data deposition in their policies. Sage Journals, with 9 journals in this category, recommends depositing data in Figshare. Elsevier, with 2 journals, collaborates with ScienceDirect repositories. Springer, with its single journal in this category, suggests using general repositories. Taylor & Francis, with 4 journals, requires the publication of supplementary material and deposition in public repositories.

In conclusion, researchers in education face challenges such as managing qualitative data, lack of infrastructure and incentives for sharing, and insufficient training on how to engage in open data practices. Raising awareness among scientists about the importance of data sharing from the onset of their research is essential, promoting the deposition of raw research data to enhance scientific accessibility and reproducibility in line with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). Additionally, this study has highlighted disparities in data deposition policies across different educational fields, underscoring the need for greater standardization and clarity in these policies. It is hypothesized that reviewing and unifying editorial policies of journals could simplify the data sharing process in the field of educational sciences, fostering greater commitment from the scientific community in this crucial area for social change and educational development. This responsibility will significantly contribute to the advancement of knowledge and improvement of educational practices globally.

Keywords:

Data deposition, educational research, editorial policies, data sharing, repositories.