Correlation between impact factor and public availability of published research data in Information Science and Library Science journals

Scientists continuously generate research data but only a few of them are published. If these data were accessible and reusable, researchers could examine them and generate new knowledge. Our purpose is to determine whether there is a relationship between the impact factor and the policies concerning open availability of raw research data in journals of Information Science and Library Science (ISLS) subject category from the Web of Science database. We reviewed the policies related to public availability of papers and data sharing in the 85 journals included in the ISLS category of the Journal Citation Reports in 2012. The relationship between public availability of published data and impact factor of journals is analysed through different statistical tests. The variable “statement of complementary material” was accepted in 50 % of the journals; 65 % of the journals support “reuse”; 67 % of the journals specified “storage in thematic or institutional repositories”; the “publication of the manuscript in a website” was accepted in 69 % of the journals. We have found a 50 % of journals that include the possibility to deposit data as supplementary material, and more than 60 % accept reuse, storage in repositories and publication in websites. There is a clear positive relationship between being a top journal in impact factor ranking of JCR and having an open policy.