ecta-replication-package

Replication Package (ecta-replication-package)

When to trigger

• You are preparing the deposit required under the Data and Code Availability Policy
• Monte Carlo tables cannot be regenerated bit-for-bit from a clean checkout
• An empirical paper has no documented data provenance or access path
• You are at acceptance / final-files stage and the Data Editor will verify reproducibility

Econometrica (and the other Econometric Society journals) enforce a single ES-wide Data and Code Availability Policy. Concrete, Econometrica-specific specifics that differ from the AER/AEJ (AEA Data Editor + openICPSR) pipeline:

• The policy applies to papers with empirical, experimental, and/or simulation results. A pure-theory paper with no such results is effectively exempt — but any requested exemption or limitation on data/code availability must be stated at initial submission (the handling Co-Editor decides; exemptions are not considered later).
• Reproducibility is verified before final acceptance by the Econometric Society Data Editor team. In practice you submit final files at Conditional Acceptance to a separate Editorial Express account for the Data Editor's checks and correspondence.
• The package must include a README in PDF; the Social Science Data Editors' README template is recommended and covers every required item.
• For packages conditionally accepted after July 1, 2023, the replication package is deposited at the Econometric Society Journals' Community at Zenodo (you may reserve a DOI in advance). Another trusted open repository with a permanent DOI can satisfy the requirement with Data Editor approval — but not the AEA/openICPSR route by default.

Verify the current policy text and deposit location on the official ES Data Editor site before finalizing — the specifics evolve.

Build the package as you go, not the night before final files. A package assembled from memory at the end almost never reproduces — and here a real human Data Editor will run it.

What the package must contain

Component	Requirement
Code	All scripts that produce every table, figure, and number in the paper and Supplemental Material
Master script	One command (run_all) regenerates every exhibit end to end
Random seeds	Every stochastic step seeded and recorded, so Monte Carlo tables reproduce bit-for-bit (simulations are covered by the ES policy)
Environment	Software, version numbers, and pinned dependencies (Docker / renv / conda / Project.toml)
README (PDF)	Hardware, expected runtime, data sources, file-by-file description, exhibit ↔ script map; use the Social Science Data Editors' README template
Data (empirical)	The data, or — when proprietary/restricted — exact provenance and an access path that lets a replicator obtain it
Deposit	The Econometric Society Journals' Community at Zenodo (after the Data Editor's checks; reserve a DOI in advance), unless a trusted DOI repository is approved
License / terms	Any data-use restrictions documented; redistribution rights respected

Reproducibility discipline for Monte Carlo

• Seed everything and record the seed alongside each table. Re-running must reproduce the exact numbers, not merely "similar" ones.
• Master script runs all simulations and writes outputs to named files that map to table numbers.
• Runtime honesty. State how long the full simulation takes and on what hardware; if it is days, provide a smaller smoke-test path that runs quickly and a way to verify the full run.
• No manual steps. No "then copy the number into the table by hand" — exhibits should be generated programmatically where feasible.

Empirical data provenance

• Public data: include it (or a script that downloads a fixed version) plus the citation.
• Proprietary / restricted data (e.g., licensed firm-level, confidential admin data): you generally cannot redistribute it. Document the exact source, version, access procedure, required licenses/fees, and contact, so a replicator can obtain the same data. Provide all code, and where allowed, a synthetic or example dataset that exercises the pipeline.
• Confidentiality: strip personal identifiers; respect data-provider agreements; state any approvals obtained.

Recommended structure

replication/
  README.md            # provenance, environment, runtime, exhibit↔script map
  run_all.{do,R,py,jl} # master script: one command rebuilds everything
  code/                # numbered scripts (setup → simulate/estimate → tables → figures)
  data/                # public data or a synthetic example; provenance for restricted data
  output/              # generated tables/figures (regenerable, not hand-edited)
  env/                 # Dockerfile / renv.lock / environment.yml / Project.toml

Checklist

• Every table, figure, and number (paper + Supplemental Material) regenerated by code
• Single master script reproduces everything end to end
• Every random draw seeded; Monte Carlo tables reproduce bit-for-bit (simulations are in-scope)
• Environment pinned (versions + dependencies)
• README in PDF (Social Science Data Editors' template) documents hardware, runtime, data sources, and exhibit↔script map
• Public data included or downloaded by script with a fixed version
• Restricted data: provenance + access path documented; synthetic example provided if allowed
• Any exemption/limitation requested at initial submission (theory paper with no empirical/experimental/simulation results may be exempt)
• Deposit plan: Econometric Society Journals' Community at Zenodo (DOI reserved); Data Editor checks pass at conditional acceptance
• Confidentiality and data-use terms respected; identifiers removed
• Verified against the current ES Data and Code Availability Policy and Data Editor site

Anti-patterns

• Unseeded simulations, so tables only reproduce "approximately"
• A pile of scripts with no master file and undocumented run order
• Numbers transcribed into tables by hand, untraceable to any script
• "Data available on request" with no provenance, version, or access procedure
• An environment that only runs on the author's machine (unpinned versions)
• Redistributing proprietary data in violation of the license
• Leaving package assembly to the final-files deadline

Output format

【Package status】complete / gaps
【Master script】present / missing
【Seeds recorded】yes/no — bit-for-bit reproducible: yes/no
【Environment pinned】yes/no (tool: ...)
【Data】public-included / restricted-provenance-documented / theory-exempt / MISSING
【Exhibit↔script map】complete / gaps: [...]
【Deposit】Zenodo (ES Journals' Community) DOI reserved: yes/no
【Policy check】verified against current ES Data Editor policy: yes/no
【Next step】ecta-referee-strategy