Data-PE: A Framework for Evaluating Data Publication Policies at Scholarly Journals

Abstract

With the growing importance of data to the scholarly record and the critical role journals play in facilitating data sharing, the complex landscape of scholarly journal data publication policies has become an obstacle for research. This paper outlines Data-PE, a framework for evaluating these policies. It takes the form of a conceptual foundation, comprising twelve criteria for evaluation, operationalized through an evaluation tool. Its objective is to function as a flexible means for a variety of stakeholders to appraise individual policies. Examples of the use of the framework are provided and means for the validation of the tool are discussed.

Keywords

• Data publication
• Data sharing
• Scholarly journals
• Evaluation framework
• Editorial policy
• Scholarly communication