Data and Code Availability in Tropical Disease Research

Computational reproducibility, defined as the ability to independently verify the results of a computational study using the same data, lies at the heart of credible scientific evidence. We examine the accessibility of replication materials (data and codes) in empirical studies on tropical diseases. Using disease-specific search terms, we identify 553 causal or intervention studies published during 2015-2024 in 21 leading public health and general-interest journals. Only 4.2% of studies provide a complete replication package, 14.8% rely on restricted-access datasets, while the remaining 81% of studies do not provide sufficient materials to reproduce their results (448 studies). Among the 448 studies requiring follow-up, only 2% of authors responded to email requests for replication materials, and none has yet shared the requested files, highlighting the substantial barriers to computational reproducibility in tropical disease research.