Reproducibility and robustness

We encourage researchers to maintain transparency in using data and methodology for their research. It will ensure the future reproducibility of experiments.

The article publication implies that authors agree to make all research aspects open to the scientific community and readers. This includes open-source data, technologies and methods for conducting research, obtained results, which provide the possibility of reproducing similar experiments by other scientists in future, as well as facilitating their improvement and development.

Therefore, authors should support all open data with a complete and accurate description of experiments (including source data, methods and results). Furthermore, it is crucial to provide a detailed description of both the initial research idea and the final obtained results.

The authors’ provision of a detailed description of all these data in the article contributes to the transparency of scientific activity and the reproducibility of experiments in future. Also, it allows reviewers or editors to analyse research materials more thoroughly.

We seek for publishing only reliable results that are approved by proven techniques and models. It is unethical and unacceptable for authors to misrepresent data or use unverified information. Authors are obligated to test their models and methods for obtaining results as well as provide information and explanations.

The journal does not impose any limitations on the length of manuscripts. It is advisable to devote a part of the manuscript to a detailed presentation of initial research data, technologies, methods and obtained results.

In some cases, at the request of the editors, authors must provide access to primary data or additional information and explanations about the methodology and analytical data, methods and techniques used to generate results of the submitted article.

Therefore, the journal requests authors to retain the initial data and calculations for a reasonable period of time and post them in the Internet. Access to the data underlying published results enhances the possibility of successful research replication in future.

The editors fully support the authors’ data sharing efforts. Sometimes, it is difficult or impossible to ensure reproducibility but we rely on the authors’ professionalism. Some legal restrictions on data exchange and reuse (copyright, donation agreements, etc.) are complex and create certain obstacles to experiment reproduction. Society can benefit most from the scientific activity if data can be freely reused without legal or other barriers to new discoveries. To address reproducibility issues, stakeholders from the research community must come together and collaborate to create a productive research culture that encourages and incorporates reproducibility practices.