Publication of data sharing statements in clinical trials by cardiovascular journals: a quantitative and qualitative analysis

Many cardiovascular disease (CVD) journals request data sharing statements upon trial report submission, but their compliance in publishing these statements remains unclear. We therefore performed a quantitative analysis to evaluate the current practice of the publications of data sharing statements in clinical trials by CVD journals, which included 78 CVD journals that published clinical trials from Jan 2019 to Dec 2022 and had data sharing statement request. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between journal characteristics and journals’ publications of statements. We also ran an online qualitative survey by sending anonymous questionnaires to editors-in-chief from CVD journals for their opinions on journals’ publications of statements, trying to further explore why the journals did not publish statements. Their perspectives could provide in-depth information on and new insights into promoting publications of data sharing statements. This quantitative and qualitative analysis assessing the current practice of publishing data sharing statements by CVD journals, may generate new evidence to promote the actual data sharing and transparency in CVD trials.