Replication & Data/Code Policy for RED (red-replication-and-data-policy)

When to trigger

• Preparing the materials that must be in place before final acceptance
• A computational paper unsure whether code-only (no data) still triggers the policy (it does)
• Handling proprietary/confidential data and the exemption process

RED's policy (verified)

RED enforces an Availability of Data and Computer Code for Published Papers policy. Before final acceptance, authors must provide data and code sufficient for others to replicate the results. RED's culture is code-first — the policy covers computational as well as empirical papers, and archives are first-class, citable objects. The Elsevier Guide also applies Option C research-data instructions: deposit research data in a relevant repository and cite/link it in the article when possible, or provide a data-availability statement explaining why sharing is not possible.

• Empirical papers: final datasets plus the code that manipulates them and, if applicable, how the final dataset was derived from original sources.
• Computational / theoretical papers: the final programs that generate the results.
• readme.txt (required) — must specify the software/OS used, program execution order, expected computation time, and random seeds where applicable. These requirements are notably specific, reflecting reproducibility norms for simulation-heavy work.
• Format & delivery: package as open-standard archives — .zip, .gz, or .gzip — to the RED data/code editor Christian Zimmermann.
• Posting & indexing: materials are posted on the RED website and indexed on RePEc (the RED "Computer Codes" series at IDEAS/RePEc).
• Elsevier Option C layer: prepare repository DOI/links and data/software citations where possible; if data cannot be shared, prepare the data-availability statement during submission.
• Exemptions: proprietary/confidential-data exemptions must be approved by the Coordinating Editor at the time of submission — note this in the cover letter, not after acceptance.

Checklist

• Final data (empirical) or final programs (computational), with a master run-all script
• readme.txt lists software/OS, execution order, expected runtime, and random seeds
• Packaged as .zip/.gz/.gzip; addressed to the RED code editor
• Repository DOI/links and data/software citations prepared, or data statement explains limits
• Proprietary-data exemption (if any) flagged to the Coordinating Editor at submission
• Archive verified to reproduce headline tables/figures from scratch

Anti-patterns

• Assuming a code-only computational paper is exempt (it is not)
• A readme missing seeds, runtime, or execution order
• Treating a RED website archive as a substitute for the Elsevier Option C data statement
• Raising a proprietary-data exemption after acceptance instead of at submission

Archive manifest

Create a manifest before final acceptance:

Result | Script/program | Inputs | Runtime | Seed | Output path | README line | DOI/data statement

For computational RED papers, include solution routines, calibration files, counterfactual scripts, transition-path programs, and plotting scripts. For empirical RED papers, include raw-to-final data construction, estimation commands, and table/figure exports. The manifest should make it obvious which program recreates the dynamic result, not merely which folder contains code.

Archive layout that satisfies the policy

A package the RED code editor can verify without correspondence (adapt names to your stack):

red-archive-v1.zip
├── readme.txt           # REQUIRED fields: software/OS, execution order, runtime, seeds
├── run_all.sh           # one command reproduces every exhibit
├── src/
│   ├── solve_model.jl       # household problem (EGM) + GE loop
│   ├── calibrate.jl         # internal calibration to targets in targets.csv
│   ├── counterfactuals.jl   # policy experiments, transition paths
│   └── accuracy_checks.jl   # Euler-error and grid-refinement diagnostics
├── data/
│   ├── moments/targets.csv  # every calibration target with its source
│   └── raw/ (or access instructions if proprietary)
├── output/              # regenerated tables/figures mapped to paper numbering
└── Manifest.toml / requirements.txt / Dynare version pin

For runtime, be honest at the step level: a global-solution model whose full rerun takes days should say so in readme.txt and provide cached intermediates plus the code that regenerates them.

Failure modes the code editor's check catches

• Code that solves a slightly different model than the paper's final equations (drift across revisions)
• Hard-coded local paths or undeclared toolbox dependencies that break execution on another machine
• Missing seeds, so SMM draws or simulated panels differ run to run and moments will not match the tables
• Proprietary inputs with no access instructions and no simulated stand-in, leaving the code path untestable

Output format

[Archive status] ready / missing readme / missing code / exemption needed
[Replication object] empirical data / computational program / mixed
[Required readme fields] software_OS / order / runtime / seeds
[Delivery risk] archive format / code editor / proprietary data / RePEc posting / Option C data statement
[Next repair] <single file or script to fix>

Supplementary resources

• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — policy URL and the RePEc Computer Codes series
• ../../resources/external_tools.md — environment-capture and archive tooling