DATA ACCESS & RESEARCH TRANSPARENCY
The Journal Editors' Transparency Statement (JETS)
For information on the petition, scroll to the bottom of the page. For those not familiar with JETS, here is the Journal Editors Transparency Statement (JETS) in its entirety:
Data Access and Research Transparency (DA-RT): A Joint Statement by Political Science Journal Editors
In this joint statement, leading journals commit to greater data access and research transparency, and to implementing policies requiring authors to make as accessible as possible the empirical foundation and logic of inquiry of evidence-based research. Please visit dartstatement.org for more information
Transparency requires making visible both the empirical foundation and the logic of inquiry of research. We agree that by January 15, 2016 we will:
-
Require authors to ensure that cited data are available at the time of publication through a trusted digital repository. Journals may specify which trusted digital repository shall be used (for example if they have their own dataverse). If cited data are restricted (e.g., classified, require confidentiality protections, were obtained under a non-disclosure agreement, or have inherent logistical constraints), authors must notify the editor at the time of submission. The editor shall have full discretion to follow their journal’s policy on restricted data, including declining to review the manuscript or granting an exemption with or without conditions. The editor shall inform the author of that decision prior to review.
-
Require authors to delineate clearly the analytic procedures upon which their published claims rely, and where possible to provide access to all relevant analytic materials. If such materials are not published with the article, they must be shared to the greatest extent possible through institutions with demonstrated capacity to provide long-term access.
-
Maintain a consistent data citation policy to increase the credit that data creators and suppliers receive for their work. These policies include using data citation practices that identify a dataset’s author(s), title, date, version, and a persistent identifier. In sum, we will require authors who base their claims on data created by others to reference and cite those data as an intellectual product of value.
-
Ensure that journal style guides, codes of ethics, publication manuals, and other forms of guidance are updated and expanded to include improved data access and research transparency requirements.
The following 27 journals have signed the joint statement:
UPDATE 11/24/2015: The American Political Science Association's past, current, and future presidents issue a joint statement. "Our legitimacy as scholars and political scientists in speaking to the public on issues of public concern rests in part on whether we adopt and maintain common standards for evaluating evidence-based knowledge claims...We Support DA-RT Implementation in the APSR in January 2016." Read the entire statement here.
UPDATE 11/9/2015. Nancy Hirschmann, Mala Htun, Jane Mansbridge, Kathleen Thelen, Lisa Wedeen, and Elisabeth Wood have organized a petition to delay transparency standards. A website describes their effort. Find it here. The site invites commentary on DA-RT and JETS. If you wish to be part of the conversation, please consider posting your views.
UPDATE. Some JETS editors are making public statements about this matter. We will post responses here as we become aware of them.
American Journal of Political Science Editor William G. Jacoby announces
American Political Science Review announces that it has implemented new DA-RT standards
Comparative Political Studies announces that it has implemented some DA-RT standards.
The Italian Political Science Review announces that it has implemented DA-RT standards.
Journal of Theoretical Politics announces that it has implemented DA-RT standards.
Political Behavior annonunces that it has implemented DA-RT standards.
State Politics and Policy Quarterly announces that it has implemented DA-RT standards.