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Sharing unprocessed research data with other scientists benefits research community in many ways. However, it also presents numerous challenges and issues that need to be addressed, mainly the preservation of patients' privacy.

In the article published by the BMJ and co-published by the BioMed Central journal Trials, Iain Hrynaszkiewicz and colleagues address the practical issues of sharing clinical research data. They provide practical guidance on data file preparation and propose a minimum standard for anonymising (or de-identifying) data for the purposes of publication in peer reviewed journals or sharing with other researchers through different means.

Although the main focus of the paper is on data from randomised trials, the same issues apply to data from any research study involving human subjects, including cohort, case-control, and case series designs.


References:

Hrynaszkiewicz I, Norton ML, Vickers AJ, and Altman DG. Preparing raw clinical data for publication: guidance for journal editors, authors, and peer reviewers.
BMJ 2010 340: c181. (Free full text) 
Trials 2010; 11: 9 (Free full text) 

Editorial: Groves, T. BMJ policy on data sharing. BMJ 2010 340: (Full text)