crim-data-and-transparency

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

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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

• [ ] Data-availability statement drafted to Wiley/current portal wording
• [ ] One master script regenerates every table and figure from raw/constructed data
• [ ] README documents data provenance, construction, and how to reproduce each exhibit
• [ ] Seeds set/reported for every stochastic step (bootstrap, RI, EM-based trajectory fits)
• [ ] Software/package versions pinned (renv.lock / requirements.txt / recorded installs)
• [ ] Restricted data: exemption note + access path (NACJD/agency) + synthetic substitute where feasible
• [ ] Preregistration linked (anonymized) where applicable; registered vs. exploratory marked

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

• [../../resources/external_tools.md](../../resources/external_tools.md) — ICPSR/NACJD archiving, preregistration, reproducibility tooling
• [../../resources/official-source-map.md](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — Wiley DAS guidance, ACT data-policy/preprint fields, and open-badge sources