Data and Reproducibility Policy

Scientific conclusions must rest on traceable data and sufficiently detailed methods. This policy sets requirements for materials needed to check results, their deposit, citation and retention, and the handling of justified access restrictions.

01. Purpose and scope

This policy of Irrigation and Melioration applies to original and processed data, software code, computational models, protocols, images, maps and other materials underlying an article’s conclusions. It covers newly created and reused data, including special issue content and supplementary files.

Reproducibility here means being able to check how the reported results were obtained using the described data, methods and computational procedures. A study repeated with new observations provides a separate test and does not replace provision of the original study materials. Authors identify limits to exact computational reproduction, such as algorithmic randomness or an unavailable historical version of an external service.

Research articles require a minimum sufficient package of materials for checking their conclusions. As a general rule, this is made public by publication; justified restrictions are considered under this policy. Applying FAIR means making materials findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable, without requiring unconditional disclosure of protected information.

02. Data and documentation to provide

The minimum sufficient package includes data needed to check the main calculations, tables, figures and conclusions, with information linking them to the original observations. Final means or images of plots alone are insufficient if they do not allow the analysis to be checked. Unrelated materials from the entire project need not be deposited.

  • For field and laboratory studies: observations by experimental unit, site and replicate identifiers, dates, measurement conditions, units, and instrument and calibration information needed to assess quality.
  • For geospatial and time-series data: source, coverage, coordinate reference system, spatial and temporal resolution, time zone where relevant, missing-value handling and transformations. Sensitive coordinates are protected under the restricted-access rules.
  • For computational studies: the inputs used, material outputs, parameters and configuration files needed to connect calculations with the published conclusions.
  • For systematic reviews and quantitative syntheses: search strategy and date, selection criteria, included sources, extracted values and calculations; third-party full-text publications must not be redistributed without the necessary rights.

Files are accompanied by instructions describing their structure, variables, codes, units, missing-value conventions, processing and relationship to the article. Common machine-readable formats are preferred; specialist formats require identification of the software and reading method. Tables are not supplied only as scans when original numerical data are available.

03. Methods and verifiable analysis

Methods describe the study design, experimental conditions, observation inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size, independent replicates, missing-data and outlier treatment, formulae, statistical procedures and uncertainty assessment. Repeated technical measurements must not be presented as independent experimental units. Decisions made after examining results are identified when they affect interpretation.

Hydraulic, hydrological and other models require initial and boundary conditions, parameters, calibration, validation and material assumptions. Authors explain the separation of calibration and validation data and limits to transferring conclusions across sites, seasons and operating conditions. Key calculations must be traceable, with rounding and acceptable computational differences made understandable.

If a preregistered protocol or analysis plan existed, provide its link and identify departures from it. Retrospective registration must not be described as prospective. Negative results and checks material to a stated conclusion must not be concealed to strengthen it. These requirements do not impose registration of every engineering study.

04. Deposit, versions and availability dates

At submission, data and analytical materials must be accessible to the editor and reviewers through a secure route. By publication, the open portion of the minimum package is deposited in a suitable disciplinary, institutional or general-purpose repository. Authors select a service with clear preservation terms, metadata, version management and a persistent identifier, preferably a DOI. A repository’s name does not replace checking its actual capabilities.

Links identify the specific package and version used rather than just a home page. For changing external databases, identify the version or extraction date and exact criteria for retrieving the data used. Preserve the relevant snapshot when rights permit. A code development platform, personal website or temporary cloud link alone does not replace a preserved version of the research materials.

The deposit plan and permissible exceptions are agreed before acceptance. A temporary private link may support review and is replaced with a permanent link before publication. An embargo requires a specific justified reason, an agreed end date and published access conditions. An intention to write further papers is not sufficient by itself.

Small datasets may be included in supplementary files only with the editor’s agreement, if accessible with the article, unambiguously identified and suitable for reanalysis. A repository remains the preferred route. Simply uploading a file to OJS for review does not make it publicly available.

05. Data and code availability statement

Every article includes a separate “Data and code availability” statement, supplied at submission and finalised before publication. It lists the main material categories, location, version or identifier, reuse conditions and all restrictions. The data statement must agree with the methods and the AI use statement.

  • Open materials: “The data [description] and code [description, version] are deposited in [repository] at [DOI or permanent link], under [licence].”
  • Third-party materials: “We used [dataset, provider, version/date], accessible through [source and conditions]. Derived materials and code are available at [location] or restricted because [specific reason].”
  • Restricted access: “The materials [description] are not publicly shared because [basis]. The custodian is [organisation/unit]; requests may be submitted through [contact or page]. Requests are considered under [criteria, procedure and response period]. The open portion is at [location, if applicable].”
  • Materials entirely in the article: “All data needed to check the reported analysis are included in the article and [precisely named supplements].” This wording is appropriate only when the materials are genuinely complete and the arrangement is agreed under the preceding section.
  • No data: “No new data were created and no existing datasets were analysed in this work. Data availability is not applicable.” This option must not be used for reanalysis of third-party data or work producing modelling results.

Separately state code availability or that no research code was used. Examples must reflect the actual situation; unconfirmed DOIs and promises of future deposit must not be presented as current access. “Available from the author on request” without a reason for the restriction and an access procedure is insufficient.

06. Justified restrictions and controlled access

Reasons may include protection of participants and personal data, specific security or sensitive-site risks, third-party rights, contractual obligations and other applicable restrictions. The justification is provided to the editor at submission. The word “confidential” alone is insufficient; supporting documents can be considered without public disclosure where necessary.

Where possible, authors provide a safe open portion: anonymised or aggregated data, metadata, variable descriptions and code. For precise water-infrastructure or farm coordinates, assess whether generalised locations suffice. Generalisation must not misrepresent altered data as original observations or conceal material analytical limitations. For community data, applicable rights and agreed governance conditions are respected.

Controlled access requires a designated custodian, permitted purposes, applicant requirements, a decision process, an expected response period and reasons for refusal. Conditions must not arbitrarily depend on an applicant agreeing with the article’s conclusions; co-authorship must not be a condition of access. If sharing is entirely impossible, say so instead of offering an unfulfillable promise.

The editor assesses whether adequate independent scrutiny is possible, including permissible secure viewing or assessment by a qualified independent specialist. An exception is documented with its reason and available alternative. If key conclusions cannot be checked reliably, the manuscript may be rejected; the journal does not require breach of law, participant consent or data-owner rights.

07. Code, models and AI

Authors provide their own code, scripts, spreadsheet formulae and settings that materially affect results. Report software and dependency versions, execution order, input and output files and, where needed, the computing environment, random seed and hardware requirements. Instructions should allow a specialist to understand the analytical sequence without personal explanations from the author.

Commercial or closed-source software is not prohibited in itself. Give its exact version, available settings, lawful acquisition route and verification limitations; share original scripts and input data within the rights held. If a key algorithm is unavailable, the editor assesses whether alternative checks are sufficient. Full reproducibility must not be claimed when essential components are inaccessible.

For machine learning, retain material information on training, validation and the model version used; where needed, retain weights, prompts and output-processing rules where rights permit their provision. Measured, imputed and synthetic values are identified separately. Detailed AI disclosure requirements and permitted uses are governed by the separate AI policy.

08. Citation and licences

Datasets, models and software used are cited in the text and reference list as research objects in their own right. Include, where available, creators, year, title, version, repository or provider, and DOI or another persistent identifier. A citation to a paper describing a dataset complements but does not replace identification of the data actually used.

Each deposited object has clear reuse conditions. Authors select an open licence for their own data when they have the necessary rights; code requires an appropriate software licence. The article’s CC BY 4.0 licence does not automatically relicense a separately deposited dataset, software or third-party material. Restrictions and exceptions are explicitly marked.

Authors must not grant rights they do not hold or remove provenance when processing data. A licence does not replace citation. Detailed provisions on copyright and reuse of the published article are set out in the Copyright and Licensing Policy.

09. Checks during manuscript assessment

The editorial office checks that the statement is present and that the specified access routes work. Reviewers assess whether the data and descriptions support scrutiny of the main conclusions and may request specific files, explanations or control calculations through the editor. This does not require the editorial office to rerun every calculation or guarantee that all errors are absent.

Double-anonymous review uses anonymised copies or suitable private links without author-identifying metadata; provenance and custodian information remain available to the editorial office. If an existing public dataset makes complete anonymity impossible, authors inform the editor. Scientific verifiability must not be sacrificed to the formal removal of necessary information.

Non-public materials received for assessment are used only for the editorial task and are not shared with others or external generative AI services. Access is restricted to necessary participants. Before a final decision, authors resolve material discrepancies between the article, dataset and code or explain them adequately. Review independence and confidentiality requirements apply in full.

10. Retention, updates and enquiries

Authors ensure that original materials, documentation and the code used are retained for at least 5 years after publication; longer periods apply when required by their organisation, contract or other applicable rules. This is the journal’s minimum, not a universal indexing requirement. Where binding conditions limit retention, permissible periods and safe documentation to retain are agreed in advance. While concerns remain under examination, related materials are not destroyed within the permitted retention period.

A responsible custodian is designated; an author changing employment must not leave the materials without a responsible person. Authors arrange backups, access protection and handover. Expiry of the minimum period does not require removal of an open repository deposit. Retaining research materials is distinct from archiving published journal issues, which is governed by a separate journal policy.

Data corrections are issued as a new version explaining the changes and linking to the version used in the article. Files that change the meaning of published results must not be silently replaced. Authors notify the editorial office of a material error, loss of access or changed conditions; effects on the article are handled under the Corrections and Retractions Policy.

Access or reproducibility problems can be reported through OJS or to i_m_jurnal@tiiame.uz, identifying the article, material version and problem. Disagreement or an unsuccessful reproduction attempt alone does not establish misconduct; the allegations and appeals procedures apply. The actual policy approval and posting dates are recorded. New formal requirements are not attributed to past publications, but concerns about their reliability may be examined.

Guidance informing this policy

This policy draws on DOAJ transparency principles, the FAIR principles, AGU guidance on data and software, and FORCE11 data citation principles. The specific requirements, exceptions and retention period below are journal rules; they do not imply that the journal operates its own data repository.

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ISSN 2181-1369 (Online)