Research Data Management Policy

The journal Pedagoška obzorja - Didactica Slovenica supports open access to research data, which form the basis of modern scientific research.

About research data

Research data are data obtained through various methods to understand, test or confirm hypotheses and draw conclusions, and are generated or processed during research. Data can be in various formats: notes, interviews, photographs, transcripts, numerical research data, software code, etc. If data are not recorded or stored in digital form, it is advisable to consider whether this material can be digitized to facilitate its storage in a data repository. A data repository enables storage and access to different types of data (e.g. research data, public sector data, etc.) and associated documentation.

The availability of data increases the transparency and verifiability of research results and improves their usability in future studies, thereby increasing the investment in already collected data. Data sharing can also promote the professional development of researchers by increasing the visibility of their work and facilitating collaboration with new partners.

Policy on the mandatory citation of research data

According to the Decree on the implementation of scientific research work in accordance with the principles of open science (Decree), the journal’s co-funder (Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency) requires the editorial board to provide open access to the research data used in the article prior to publication. The data must be prepared according to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).

Exceptions to open access to research data

If data cannot be fully shared for legal, ethical or other valid reasons, the authors must provide justification – for example, in cases involving the protection of personal data (see the EU General Data Protection Regulation), material containing trade secrets or other commercially sensitive information regulated by legislation, or data involving security risks. The Decree requires authors to provide open access to research data and other results from co-funded research according to the principle “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”.

List of trusted repositories

Authors must deposit research data in trusted data repositories, archives or centers that provide appropriate access arrangements. The trusted repositories recommended by the journal’s co-funder are listed here.

We recommend using the Creative Commons licenses CC BY 4.0 or CC0 1.0 (or equivalent) when publishing research data.

Citation of research data

Authors must cite all data sources appropriately – in accordance with the repository’s instructions and the journal’s citation style (e.g. APA7 Standard) – or explain in the data availability statement if the data has not been digitized or has not been published due to other restrictions (e.g. Personal Data Protection Act (ZVOP-2), Copyright and Related Rights Act (ZASP)). A link to the published research data (e.g. DOI) must be provided in the reference list of the article and, if applicable, in a footnote.

Responsibilities of authors, editors and reviewers

The data must be available to the editors and reviewers at the time of submission of the manuscript and to the public at the latest when the article is published. An embargo on data access is only permitted in exceptional cases and must be accompanied by appropriate embargo conditions and a reasoned explanation. It is the editors’ responsibility to assess whether the article is based on research data (either the author’s own data or third-party data). If the editors determine that such data exist and have not been properly cited, they must ask the author to revise the article. The same applies to the journal's reviewers.