The Limits of Sharing: An Ethical Analysis of the Arguments For and Against the Sharing of Databases and Material Banks

In this article, I study the challenges that make database and material bank sharing difficult for many researchers. I assert that if sharing is prima facie ethical (a view that I will defend), then any practices that limit sharing require justification. I argue that: 1) data and material sharing is ethical for many stakeholders; 2) there are, however, certain reasonable limits to sharing; and 3) the rationale and validity of arguments for any limitations to sharing must be made transparent. I conclude by providing general recommendations for how to ethically share databases and material banks.