The Netherlands Journal of Critical Care (Neth. J. Crit. Care) recognizes that responsible sharing of research data can promote transparency, reproducibility, verification, collaboration, and further scientific discovery. The journal therefore encourages authors to share the data supporting their published research whenever ethically, legally, and practically possible.

1. General Principle

Authors are encouraged to make the underlying data supporting the findings of their manuscript available to other researchers, subject to appropriate ethical, legal, privacy, confidentiality, and intellectual-property considerations.

Data sharing should not compromise the rights, privacy, safety, or confidentiality of research participants.

2. Data Availability Statement

Authors are encouraged to include a Data Availability Statement in their manuscript.

The statement should indicate whether the data supporting the findings are:

• Publicly available through a recognized repository.
• Available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
• Available subject to appropriate ethical or legal restrictions.
• Not publicly available because of privacy, confidentiality, consent, or other legitimate restrictions.

3. Data Repositories

Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to deposit supporting datasets in a reputable and recognized data repository.

Authors should provide a persistent identifier, such as a DOI, repository accession number, or other stable link, where available.

4. Protection of Participants

Data involving human participants must be shared only in accordance with the consent obtained, ethical approval, applicable laws, and relevant privacy and data-protection requirements.

Authors must remove or appropriately protect personally identifiable information before sharing data.

Where data cannot be publicly shared because of confidentiality, privacy, consent limitations, or legal restrictions, authors should clearly explain the applicable restrictions in their Data Availability Statement.

5. Data Supporting Published Findings

Authors should retain appropriate records and supporting data necessary to substantiate the findings reported in the article.

Where scientifically and ethically appropriate, the journal may request access to underlying data during peer review or after publication to clarify questions concerning the accuracy, integrity, or reproducibility of reported findings.

6. Data Citation

Authors should appropriately cite datasets and other research resources that are used in or support their work.

Data citations should provide sufficient information for readers to identify and, where permitted, access the relevant dataset.

7. Restrictions on Data Sharing

The journal recognizes that some datasets cannot be openly shared because of:

• Participant confidentiality
• Informed-consent limitations
• Privacy regulations
• Legal restrictions
• Institutional requirements
• Intellectual-property considerations
• National or regulatory requirements
• Security concerns

Such restrictions do not automatically prevent publication. Authors should provide a clear explanation of the limitations and, where possible, describe how qualified researchers may request access.

8. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that any shared data are accurate, appropriately documented, and consistent with the published research.

Authors should not share data in a manner that violates participant consent, ethical approval, confidentiality obligations, or applicable laws.

Authors should also ensure that shared datasets do not contain fabricated, falsified, or misleading information.

9. Data Access During Editorial Review

Where necessary, editors may request supporting data or additional methodological information to assist in evaluating the integrity and reliability of a manuscript.

The journal will treat confidential research data provided during editorial assessment or peer review responsibly and will not disclose such information unnecessarily.

10. Post-Publication Data Concerns

If substantial concerns arise after publication regarding the data underlying an article, the journal may request clarification, supporting documentation, or access to relevant data.

Depending on the outcome of the assessment, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction where appropriate.

11. Encouragement of Open and Responsible Data Sharing

The Netherlands Journal of Critical Care encourages authors to adopt responsible data-sharing practices that strengthen transparency and reproducibility while respecting ethical and legal obligations.

Data sharing is encouraged where feasible, but the protection of research participants and compliance with ethical, legal, and confidentiality requirements take priority over unrestricted data access.

The journal may periodically update this policy to reflect developments in research-data management, medical publishing, privacy requirements, and recognized scholarly standards.