Why isn't code related to a research paper available for community to use freely.
Because this researcher regards the code as his (or her) hard-earned intellectual property, to be sold.
The code may be copyrighted, or the author may want control over who uses it, such as non-compete agreements.
the researcher works hard for a long time to get the final results and codes. so, it copyright.
I am inclined to agree with Ian. The code was more than likely the result of hard work and long hours, and yes, I am also of the opinion that it is intellectual property and it should be copyright registered. I liken this matter to that of a composer who composes a song that has the potential of widespread appeal; given the various formats in which the music could be downloaded and made available, if this creation, a.k.a. intellectual property were not copyright-protected, there is the potential of losing a legitimate revenue stream.
In short, the developer could release the code for the common good--but only after it has been copyright registered. It's called giving credit where credit is due.
Three reasons :
1. Its her intellectual property. It may be copyrighted. Besides, She can do with it as she pleases.
2. Someone may use her code, rewrite or extend her work and publish in a predatory journal. I have suffered that consequence.
3. Validation : When someone implements your design, and the results you proposed match theirs, the credibility of your work is validated.
It's not about being "scared". I suppose you raised this query because some authors refused to share their code. And I am glad they did not spoon-feed you and encouraged you to implement their work and learn while you are at it. This exercise will offer you a deep insight into the problem and you might even come up with ways to improve upon their technique.
Sometimes, the researcher may have plagiarised someone else's software, and be unwilling to be exposed by the community.
Hello, two reasons from my own experience:
1) There are cases when open source obviously have been commercialised and closed by people that mainly are in it for the money
2) The quality of project funded code are not always as high as it is described in the research articles.