STM has released new voluntary recommendations designed to help publishers and journals improve the clarity of data sharing information in medical and health sciences. The guidance addresses challenges unique to this field, where participant privacy, regulatory requirements, and ethical obligations make generic policy language difficult to apply.
The STM Medical Data Sharing Guidance was developed by an STM Task & Finish Group, with input from pharmaceutical industry experts through workshops that mapped the current landscape and identified recurring gaps. Built within the framework of the Research Data Alliance’s endorsed data sharing policy structure, the guidance covers data definitions, exceptions to sharing mandates, embargoes, repositories, availability statements, licensing, and the FAIR Data Principles. Best‑practice examples from leading medical journals are included throughout.
Matt Cannon, Associate Director of Open Science Programs at Taylor & Francis Group, explained that medical and health research requires specific considerations beyond general data sharing guidance. He noted that the resource provides publishers and journals with practical information on where precise language and detail can support authors, thereby strengthening both consistency and trustworthiness of published results.
The guidance was developed in consultation with the STM Open Research Committee, RDA working groups, and community data policy experts. It is freely available for publishers to use and complements STM’s broader work on research data, including the 2023 Joint Statement on Research Data with DataCite and Crossref.
An accompanying article in The Scholarly Kitchen provides further context on the challenges addressed and the development process behind the guidance.
Click here to read the original press release.
