The Malaysian Journal of Soil Science (MJSS) supports the principles of research transparency, reproducibility, and open scientific inquiry. Authors are encouraged to make the data underlying their published research available whenever possible, subject to ethical, legal, confidentiality, and intellectual property considerations.

Data Availability Statement

Authors are encouraged to include a Data Availability Statement in their manuscripts indicating where the data supporting the findings of the study can be accessed.

Examples include:

• Data openly available:
  "The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in [repository name] at [DOI or URL]."
• Data available upon reasonable request:
  "The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request."
• Restricted data:
  "The data are not publicly available due to confidentiality, legal, or ethical restrictions."
• No new data generated:
  "No new data were generated or analysed in this study."

Data Repositories

Authors are encouraged to deposit datasets, supplementary materials, and related research outputs in recognised institutional, national, or international repositories that provide persistent identifiers such as DOIs.

Data Integrity

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

• Data are accurately recorded, analysed, and reported.
• Data have not been fabricated, falsified, or manipulated inappropriately.
• Adequate records of research data are maintained and preserved.

Availability During Peer Review

Editors may request access to supporting data, supplementary files, or relevant documentation during the review process to verify the validity and integrity of the research findings.

Exceptions

MJSS recognizes that some data may be subject to confidentiality agreements, privacy regulations, proprietary restrictions, indigenous knowledge protections, national security considerations, or other legal and ethical constraints. In such cases, authors should clearly explain the reasons for restricted access in the Data Availability Statement.

Responsibility of Authors

Authors retain responsibility for the management, storage, preservation, and sharing of research data associated with their publications. Compliance with funder, institutional, and legal requirements concerning research data remains the responsibility of the authors.