replication-package-metadata

What information do we require of authors about replication packages?

What is the absolute minimum that data editors and readers interested in replication need to know? Provide justification.

Citation

• NB: bibliographic details of the article may not be know yet
• corresponding author (may be different from that on article)

  Description

  Output

• save your output
• where is your output
  • output is file, widely readable (not .mat, not .dta)
• how do they map to those in the paper

  List of exhibits

• List of tables
  • each table mapped to one or more output file in replication package
• List of figures
  • each figure mapped to one or more output file in replication package

Requirements

External data

• metadata

  External software

  Common metadata about each requirement

  • unique citation
    • including version number
    • wave and date of accessinng for data
  • how to access
    • which package repository if not obvious
    • which organization has the data
    • license

Computing environment

• tested on

  Hardware

  Operating System

  Running instructions

• entry point:
  • single script to run (whatever language)
  • which folder to start it from
• where to put missing inputs
  • for each external requirement, give a mounting point
• run time

  License

  Format

  A structured format that is both machine- and human-readable.

• YAML format, saved as .txt?