FRJ encourages authors to maintain the highest standards of transparency and rigor regarding the data that supports their research findings.

Data Availability and Transparency

Research Data Definition: Research data refers to the outputs of observations or experiments that validate and support research findings. This may include raw data, processed datasets, software, algorithms, source code, computational models, research protocols, and other materials related to the research process.

Data Sharing Encouragement: Authors are strongly encouraged to deposit their research data in recognized and appropriate data repositories, such as Mendeley Data, Dryad, Figshare, Open Science Framework (OSF), Zenodo, UK Data Service ReShare, OpenICPSR, and the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR).

These platforms support the implementation of FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), thereby enhancing transparency, reproducibility, and the overall impact of research. As FRJ operates under a double-anonymous peer-review process, authors are strongly encouraged to ensure that any shared datasets used during review are properly anonymized to protect author identity where necessary.

Data Citation and Linking: When datasets are deposited in public repositories, authors are required to cite and link them within the manuscript. Data citations must be included in the reference list and should contain persistent identifiers such as a Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

Data Availability Statement (DAS): All original research articles must include a Data Availability Statement (DAS), clearly explaining how and under what conditions the supporting data can be accessed.

• If data are publicly available, authors should provide appropriate links or citations to the archived dataset.
• If data cannot be shared publicly due to ethical, legal, or confidentiality constraints (e.g., protection of human participant privacy), the statement must clearly explain the reasons for non-availability or specify the conditions under which access may be granted.

Retention and Verification: Authors must be prepared to provide underlying research data to the editorial office upon request for verification of results. They are also expected to retain research data for a reasonable period after publication and are encouraged to archive their datasets for long-term preservation whenever possible.

Ethical Considerations for Data: For studies involving human participants, authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained and that all procedures complied with relevant ethical standards, including data protection and privacy regulations.

Image Integrity

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all digital images (including figures, tables, illustrations, and visual representations) accurately reflect the original research data. Any form of manipulation that may distort, fabricate, or misrepresent results is strictly prohibited. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable only when applied uniformly across the entire image and when they do not obscure or alter the interpretation of the underlying data. FRJ may request original, unprocessed image files during peer review or after publication to verify the integrity of submitted figures.