Research Data Management

The journal International Innovative Business supports the principles of Open Science and promotes responsible and transparent management of research data that underpin scientific and professional publications. Research data represent an important scholarly output, as they enable the verification, reproducibility, and further reuse of research findings while increasing the transparency of the research process.

Research data include all data collected or generated during the research process for the purpose of testing hypotheses and drawing scientific conclusions. These data may exist in various forms, such as numerical datasets, interview records, transcripts, photographs, software code, research notes, or other digital or analogue materials. When data are not available in digital form, digitization is recommended, as it enables long-term preservation, improved accessibility, and more efficient reuse.

Principles of Open Access and FAIR

The journal promotes research data management in accordance with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), which ensure that data are discoverable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. The following principle applies:

“as open as possible, as closed as necessary.”

Access to data may be restricted for legal, ethical, or security reasons (e.g., protection of personal data or confidential business information); however, authors must clearly justify such restrictions.

Storage of Research Data

Authors must archive the research data underlying the results presented in their manuscript in a trusted data repository no later than the publication of the article.

Data are recommended to be stored in:

• general open-access repositories (e.g., Zenodo),
• discipline-specific repositories appropriate to the scientific field,
• national repositories where appropriate (e.g., the Social Science Data Archives).

When selecting an appropriate repository, authors may consult international repository registries and discovery tools such as:

• https://www.re3data.org
• https://fairsharing.org

The selected repository must provide:

• long-term data preservation,
• assignment of a persistent identifier (e.g., DOI),
• clearly defined access conditions,
• the possibility of formal data citation.

When archiving data, authors must also prepare appropriate metadata describing the contextual content, data provenance, data collection methodology, and the tools or software used.

Use of Open Licences (Creative Commons)

For research data, the journal recommends the use of open Creative Commons licences, which enable lawful reuse of data and clearly define conditions of use.

Recommended licences include in particular:

• CC BY 4.0 (Attribution),
• CC0 1.0 (Public Domain Dedication),
  or other equivalent open licences.

The selected licence must be indicated when publishing data in the repository. The use of open licences significantly contributes to wider accessibility of research results, increased citation potential, and improved knowledge transfer between research and business environments.

Citation of Research Data

Citation of research data is mandatory when a manuscript is based on original or previously existing datasets.

Authors must:

• cite research data with the same rigor as scholarly publications,
• use citation information provided by the selected repository,
• include a persistent identifier (e.g., DOI),
• cite reused datasets in the reference list.

Data citation ensures traceability of the research process, recognition of authorship, and acknowledgement of datasets as independent scholarly outputs. The journal applies APA Style (7th edition) unless otherwise specified in the author guidelines.

Data Availability During the Peer Review Process

Research data must be accessible to editors and reviewers at the time of manuscript submission and made publicly available no later than the publication of the article. A time-limited embargo may be permitted in exceptional cases if properly justified.

Exceptions

Archiving data is not required when all data are fully presented within the article itself or when the contribution is not based on research data. Nevertheless, authors must clearly indicate the sources of all information used.

Roles of Authors, Editors, and Reviewers

Authors are responsible for the proper preparation, documentation, archiving, and citation of research data. Editors and reviewers verify whether a manuscript is based on research data and whether such data are properly referenced and accessible. In cases of deficiencies, authors may be requested to revise or supplement their submission.

For additional information or assistance regarding research data management, authors may contact the journal’s editorial office or the data stewards at their respective institutions.