Replication dataset guidelines

Many journals, publishers, and funding agencies require researchers to deposit replication datasets in a public repository. LibraData helps researchers fulfill this requirement by supporting the deposit of replication datasets, making this special type of data easily discoverable for other researchers to reuse and verify that a study can be replicated without having to contact the study's authors.

Contact libra@virginia.edu if you have any questions on what should be included in your LibraData dataset.

When setting up a replication dataset in LibraData here are some helpful guidelines to follow:

  1. Be sure to include all the necessary descriptive metadata (description, methods, data sources, etc) that would make it easier for other researchers to discover your replication dataset. For example:
    • In the dataset form, click the "Replication Data for" button to add this text to the title, making it clear to other researchers that this dataset can be replicated;
    • In the Publication Citation fields, include a permanent link to the original publication(s) (e.g., journal article, dissertation, etc) based on the data. If this article is publicly available, you can also upload the txt/pdf with the files for this dataset.
  2. Make sure you add all relevant files (Research Data, Documentation, Code and Analysis Files) in a replication dataset. When you are ready to upload your replication dataset files into a Dataverse repository, make sure you have:
    • A list of code, scripts, documents and data files that are needed in order to make replication possible.
    • Deposit preferred or commonly used file formats in your discipline to ensure that others will be able to more easily replicate your research. Please remember to remove information from your datasets that must remain confidential (ex. names of survey respondents).
    • Sets of computer program recodes (if needed).
    • Program commands, code or script for analysis (if needed).
    • Extracts of existing publicly available data (or very clear directions for how to obtain exactly the same ones you used).
    • Documentation files (full set of supporting documentation)
      • Add a readme file (explanatory document on how to use the files to replicate the study). See UVa’s readme file template.
      • Text/pdf file of the article (if no subscription required).
      • Include a list of links to software (or deposit the actual software used to replicate the data)
      • Codebook
      • Data collection instruments and methodology
      • Summary statistics
      • Project summaries
      • Bibliographies of publications pertaining to the data

Use the data citation generated by your replication dataset in LibraData and add it as the first footnote or in the References within your publication to indicate where researchers can access your replication data. The persistent URL (ex. http://doi.org/...) will link to your specific dataset, and if you have followed these suggestions, the dataset will contain everything needed for replication.

To learn more about replication in the social sciences:

King, Gary. "Replication, Replication" (PDF article) in PS: Political Science and Politics, with comments from nineteen authors and a response, "A Revised Proposal, Proposal," Vol. XXVIII, No. 3 (September, 1995): pp. 443-499.

Replication Dataset Guidelines based on the Dataverse Project.

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