By name: jhr-replication-and-data-policy description: Use when preparing Journal of Human Resources data and replication materials: archive plan footnote, public repository deposit, CC0 license, Data Availability Statement, read-me file, waiver requests, RCT pre-analysis-plan statements, and code package.
Replication & Data Policy (jhr-replication-and-data-policy)
When to trigger
- The paper is being prepared for JHR submission or acceptance
- You need the archive-plan footnote, Data Availability Statement, or waiver
- Data are restricted, proprietary, administrative, or RCT-based
JHR policy core
JHR's data policy is unusually concrete: accepted papers must preserve data and post replication materials in a well-curated public repository where possible, with a public-domain CC0 1.0 Universal license. At submission, include an archive plan footnote with a persistent link if available, or request a waiver at initial submission.
Package contents
- Data files that can legally be shared
- Code and models needed to reproduce all tables and figures
- Read-me file explaining the sequence
- Data Availability Statement on the title page
- Restricted-data access instructions or waiver justification
- For RCTs: pre-analysis plan registration and deviations
Waiver logic
Request a waiver at initial submission when data cannot be publicly deposited. State how other researchers can obtain the data and commit to provide reasonable guidance.
Restricted-data package
When the data cannot be public, still prepare:
- synthetic or public-use data that exercises every script path when possible;
- data dictionary with variable construction and source tables;
- access instructions, application links, and approval constraints;
- log showing which outputs require restricted data;
- archive-plan footnote explaining the waiver and reproducibility route.
Deposit decisions by data source
| Data source | What can usually be deposited | Waiver posture |
|---|---|---|
| Public-use surveys (CPS, ACS, NLSY, PSID extracts) | Extraction code plus the analysis file, or code that rebuilds it from raw downloads | Rarely needed; check redistribution terms of each survey |
| State administrative records (UI wages, K-12, Medicaid) | Code, codebooks, aggregate exhibits; microdata stays with the agency | Waiver expected; document the access route precisely |
| Own RCT microdata | De-identified analysis files under CC0 where consent and IRB allow | Partial waiver for identifying fields; PAP registration stated |
| Proprietary/commercial data | Code, pseudo-data, purchase or license instructions | Waiver with a named acquisition path |
| Linked or matched files | Each source assessed separately; the crosswalk is often the binding constraint | Mixed: deposit what is public, waiver the link keys |
Repository choice and licensing details evolve — confirm against the journal's current author guidelines before depositing.
Worked waiver scenario: UI wage records
Illustrative case: earnings outcomes come from one state's unemployment-insurance wage records under a data-use agreement that bars any microdata release.
- Footnote at submission: names the agency, the agreement, and states that code, codebooks, and a synthetic test file will be archived under CC0.
- The read-me lists the application steps and typical approval constraints a replicator faces, and which exhibits need the restricted extract.
- Every script runs against the synthetic file end-to-end so reviewers can verify logic without the data.
- The Data Availability Statement mirrors the footnote — the two must not drift apart between submission and acceptance.
Read-me skeleton for the JHR archive
README
1. Data sources & access (public files included; restricted: how to apply)
2. Software & versions (Stata/R/Python; packages pinned)
3. Run order: 00_master -> 01_clean -> 02_analysis -> 03_exhibits
4. Runtime & hardware notes; random seeds fixed where used
5. Exhibit map: each table/figure -> producing script -> data requirement
6. License: CC0 1.0 Universal (data and code deposited)
Pre-acceptance dry run
- Clone the package to a clean directory and run it without manual edits.
- Confirm every main-text and appendix exhibit regenerates byte-stable or with documented stochastic variation.
- Check that no intermediate file under a restrictive license leaks into the deposit.
Output format
[Data status] public / restricted / proprietary / confidential / mixed
[Archive plan footnote] ...
[DAS] ...
[Waiver needed] yes/no + reason
[RCT PAP status] ...
[Next step] jhr-submission