Data Sharing Policy + Open Science Policy

Journal of Law and Society Review (JLSR) is committed to promoting transparency, reproducibility, and accessibility in socio-legal research through responsible data sharing and open science practices.

This policy aligns with international standards and recommendations from organizations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and broader open science initiatives.

1. Principles of Open Science

JLSR supports the following core principles:

  • Transparency in research methods and data
  • Reproducibility of findings (where applicable)
  • Accessibility of research outputs
  • Accountability in scholarly communication

2. Data Availability Requirement

Authors are required to include a Data Availability Statement (DAS) in their manuscript.

Examples:

A. Open Data

“The data supporting the findings of this study are available in [repository name] at [DOI/link].”

B. Restricted Data

“Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request due to [reason].”

C. No Data

“No datasets were generated or analyzed in this study.”

3. Types of Data to be Shared

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to share:

  • Raw data
  • Processed datasets
  • Survey instruments / interview protocols
  • Codebooks and analytical frameworks
  • Statistical code or scripts

4. Recommended Data Repositories

Authors are encouraged to deposit data in trusted repositories such as:

  • Zenodo
  • Figshare
  • Harvard Dataverse
  • Institutional repositories

Data should include a persistent identifier (DOI) where possible.

5. Exceptions and Ethical Considerations

Data sharing may be limited when:

  • It involves confidential or sensitive information
  • It may compromise participant privacy
  • Legal or contractual restrictions apply

In such cases, authors must:

  • Clearly justify restrictions
  • Provide anonymized or partial datasets where possible

6. Open Access Policy

JLSR operates under an Open Access model, ensuring:

  • Immediate and free access to all published articles
  • No subscription barriers

Articles are published under:

  • Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license

7. Preprint Policy

JLSR allows:

  • Submission of manuscripts previously shared as preprints

Conditions:

  • Authors must disclose preprint status
  • Preprints must not have undergone formal peer review
  • Upon publication, authors should link to the final version

8. Reproducibility and Research Transparency

Authors are strongly encouraged to:

  • Provide detailed methodology
  • Share analytical processes
  • Enable verification of results

9. Open Methodology and Materials

Authors should, where possible:

  • Share research instruments
  • Provide appendices or supplementary files

10. Compliance and Enforcement

JLSR may:

  • Request datasets during review
  • Require revisions for missing data statements
  • Reject manuscripts that do not meet transparency standards

11. Benefits of Open Science (Strategic Positioning)

By adopting open science practices, JLSR aims to:

  • Increase citation impact
  • Enhance global visibility
  • Improve research credibility
  • Align with Scopus & WoS expectations

Closing Statement

JLSR is committed to fostering a culture of open, transparent, and responsible research, supporting the advancement of high-quality socio-legal scholarship worldwide.