Data Archiving & Sharing
Transparency and reproducibility in forensic research.
Research Data Policy
Advanced Forensic Sciences supports open science principles while recognizing unique sensitivities in forensic research. We balance transparency with legitimate restrictions on casework data, personal identification information, and evidence chain-of-custody requirements.
Method Validation Studies
Authors should share validation datasets enabling reproducibility verification. Synthetic or anonymized datasets are acceptable when real samples cannot be shared.
Population Studies
Aggregate population frequency data should be deposited in appropriate repositories or included as supplementary materials.
Software & Algorithms
Analysis code should be shared via GitHub or similar repositories with clear documentation enabling independent implementation.
Imaging Data
Representative images should be provided. High-resolution datasets may be shared upon reasonable request to qualified researchers.
Casework Restrictions: We recognize that active investigation data, personally identifiable information, and evidence under legal protection cannot be shared. Authors should describe data availability limitations and provide contact information for qualified access requests.
- Chain of Custody: Describe evidence handling without compromising case integrity
- Personal Identification: Remove or anonymize personally identifiable information
- Law Enforcement Data: Follow agency policies on research data sharing
- Genetic Data: Follow appropriate repository guidelines for sequence data
Forensic Databases
Population-specific databases like SWGDAM or NDIS affiliate repositories accept appropriate forensic genetic data.
General Repositories
Zenodo, Figshare, and Dryad accept diverse forensic datasets with appropriate access controls.
Include data availability statements in all manuscripts describing what data can and cannot be shared, and how qualified researchers may request access. Contact editors for guidance on sensitive forensic data handling requirements.
