Data availability and consequences in cancer and climate science

Phil Jones

Last time, I examined the issue of data availability in climate science in the context of Phil Jones’ paper on the urban heat island in Nature. The case of the Jones paper is simple — data supporting conclusions of this important paper are not available and there are serious doubts whether such data was present at the time the paper was written. As first author, Jones has however categorically stated he does not intend to correct the situation or address it in any fashion.

Data availability in climate science: the case of Jones et al 1990 and Nature

(This article is available as a pdf file.)

Here are a few quick questions:

1. Are a scientific journal’s instructions contained in its manuscript preparation and formatting guide, its policy on data availability?
2. Are instructions for expeditious processing of a paper by a journal, conditions for publication?
3. Can the author of a scientific paper say: “when I published my paper, the journal did not require data to be submitted as a pre-condition of publication so I don’t have to give it to you now”?
4. Is raising questions about a journal requiring an author to provide raw data, demeaning to the author?
5. Did journals at a time when not bound by formal policies, not subscribe to commonly accepted principles of scientific publication?

If you answer ‘yes’ to all these questions, you would be in the select company of a few who shield authors from making their data available, even much against the scientists’ own judgments.