Data Availability
International Journal of Animal and Wildlife Research
Research Data and Supporting Materials
The International Journal of Animal and Wildlife Research (IJAWR) recognizes the importance of appropriate access to research data and supporting materials. Authors should provide a Data Availability Statement where required by IJAWR policies, funders, institutions, or applicable research standards.
Data Availability Statement
Where applicable, authors should clearly state how the data supporting their research can be accessed. The statement should indicate whether the data are publicly available, available through a repository, available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, or subject to specific access conditions or restrictions.
Research data may include animal observation records, wildlife survey results, biodiversity inventories, ecological measurements, field notes, photographs, audio or video recordings, laboratory results, and other materials supporting the reported findings.
If the data cannot be shared publicly due to privacy, confidentiality, ethical, legal, animal welfare, conservation, or other legitimate restrictions, authors should clearly explain the reason and, where possible, describe how access to the data may be obtained.
For research involving threatened or endangered species, sensitive habitats, or vulnerable wildlife populations, authors should avoid publicly disclosing precise location data where such disclosure could increase the risk of disturbance, illegal capture, hunting, or other harm to the animals or their habitats.
Third-Party Data
Authors are responsible for identifying third-party data and materials used in their research. Where third-party material is subject to separate rights or restrictions, authors should obtain permission where required, acknowledge the original source, and follow the applicable license or access conditions.
Third-party material may include wildlife photographs, animal tracking records, ecological datasets, species distribution maps, conservation databases, field recordings, and research materials obtained from external organizations or repositories.
Third-party material should not be presented as being owned by the authors or licensed by IJAWR when it is not.
Supplementary Materials
Where appropriate, authors may provide supplementary materials to support their research. These may include datasets, additional tables or figures, species checklists, field observation records, survey instruments, appendices, detailed methods, statistical code, photographs, audio or video files, and other relevant supporting materials.
Supplementary materials should be clearly identified and cited in the manuscript where appropriate. Any material subject to separate copyright, licensing, access, or ethical restrictions should also be clearly identified.
Authors should ensure that supplementary materials do not disclose confidential information, restricted wildlife locations, sensitive conservation records, or other information that could compromise animal welfare, species protection, or legitimate research interests.
Data and Ethical Requirements
Where applicable, the Data Availability Statement should be provided along with other relevant declarations, such as:
Funding
Conflict of Interest
Ethical Approval
Animal Welfare and Research Permits, where applicable
Informed Consent, where applicable
Acknowledgements
Authors are responsible for ensuring that research data and supporting materials comply with applicable ethical, animal welfare, wildlife protection, privacy, confidentiality, copyright, and licensing requirements. Research involving animals or wildlife should also comply with relevant institutional ethical approval procedures, applicable legislation, and required fieldwork or collection permits.
The availability of research data should be balanced with the need to protect animals, sensitive species, vulnerable habitats, and confidential information. Any restrictions on data sharing should be clearly explained in the manuscript.