| name | crim-data-and-transparency |
| description | Use when preparing the data, replication, and transparency materials for a Criminology (ASC / Wiley) manuscript — data-availability statements, reproducibility packages, preregistration, and handling restricted criminal-justice data under DUAs. Criminology operates under growing open-science norms (Wiley open-science badges, ICPSR/NACJD archiving). Prepares the package; it does not waive requirements. |
Data & Transparency (crim-data-and-transparency)
Criminology research increasingly travels with its data and code. Expert reviewers and editors expect
that your reported tables and figures could be reproduced. Wiley's general data-sharing guidance requires
a Data Availability Statement for research- and synthesis-based articles, while the current Wiley ACT row
for Criminology lists the journal-specific data-sharing policy field as No Policy. Treat that as:
prepare a credible statement and package, but do not claim a journal-specific mandatory repository deposit
unless the live portal requires it.
When to trigger
- Building the reproducibility/replication package and the data-availability statement
- Deciding whether and how to preregister a prospective study
- Working with restricted data (juvenile records, NACJD restricted-use, agency administrative data)
- A reviewer asked how the analysis can be reproduced or the data accessed
What to prepare
- Data-availability statement. State where data and code live (e.g., ICPSR / NACJD, OSF, a
Wiley/Dryad repository) or why they cannot be shared. Use Wiley DAS templates and the live portal
wording; do not imply mandatory deposit where restricted data make that impossible.
- Reproducibility package. Data (or synthetic/derived substitutes), a master script that
regenerates every table and figure, a README documenting provenance and construction, seeds
for stochastic steps, and pinned software/package versions.
- Preregistration (prospective work). Lodge a pre-analysis plan (OSF Registries, AsPredicted) and
mark registered vs. exploratory analyses. Wiley ACT currently says Criminology does not
accept preprints, so separate preregistration from manuscript preprint posting.
- Open-science badges. Wiley offers Open Data, Open Materials, and Preregistered badges
via the Center for Open Science on participating journals; follow the live submission prompts.
Restricted criminal-justice data (common in criminology)
- Explain why the data cannot be shared (juvenile confidentiality, agency/IRB restrictions, DUAs).
- Provide README instructions on exactly how others obtain it — the application process, the archive
(often NACJD restricted-use), enclave requirements, and contacts.
- Where feasible, provide synthetic or de-identified derived data so the code can be exercised.
Build-as-you-go checklist
Anti-patterns
- Treating data/transparency as a post-acceptance afterthought
- A data-availability statement that says "available on request" with no archive or access path
- Depositing code that does not actually reproduce the printed tables/figures
- Claiming data are restricted without giving an access route or synthetic substitute
- Undocumented, un-seeded, unpinned code that "works on my machine"
Restricted-data transparency decision table (criminology specifics)
Criminal-justice data is often restricted — juvenile records, agency systems, NACJD restricted-use
files behind enclaves. The ASC/Wiley open-science direction still expects a credible reproducibility
path, so the answer is rarely "cannot share." Match your situation to a tier.
| Data situation | Acceptable transparency move | What to deposit |
|---|
| Public file (e.g., NCVS, UCR/NIBRS extracts) | full open deposit | data + master script + README |
| NACJD restricted-use | exemption note + exact application path | code + synthetic/derived data + access steps |
| Agency / juvenile confidential records | DUA or confidentiality exemption + contact | code + simulated data matching schema |
The principle: even when raw data cannot travel, the code and a runnable substitute should. Confirm
the final statement wording against the journal's current submission guidelines.
Worked vignette: a restricted-data statement (illustrative)
A study uses a state juvenile-justice extract that cannot be redistributed. The package ships a master
script regenerating all 8 exhibits; a README documenting construction and the application process
(agency contact, IRB requirement, ~12-week window, illustrative); a synthetic dataset matching the
schema so reviewers can run the script; and seeds for the EM-based trajectory fit. The statement names
the restriction, the legal basis, and the access route — not "available on request."
Transparency-stage referee pushback (with the Criminology fix)
- "'Available on request' is not a path." Fix: name the archive (NACJD/ICPSR) or the agency steps and contact.
- "Code doesn't reproduce Table 3." Fix: one master script regenerates every exhibit; verify before deposit.
- "Restricted data with no way in." Fix: give the access route plus a synthetic substitute.
Output format
【Data-availability statement】drafted to Wiley/current portal wording? [Y/N]
【Reproduces tables/figures?】master script verified locally? [Y/N]
【Documentation】README + provenance + seeds + pinned versions? [Y/N]
【Restricted data?】exemption note + access path (NACJD/agency) + synthetic data?
【Preregistration】lodged + registered vs. exploratory marked? [Y/N/NA]
【Badges】Open Data / Materials / Preregistered targeted if portal offers them? [list / NA]
【Next】crim-review-process
Supplementary resources
