October’25 Fireside Chat

Event Summary

This session explored how to strengthen research transparency and reproducibility within the Data & Policy journal and the wider data-for-policy community. Chaired by Andrew Hyde, (Managing Editor of Data & Policy, Cambridge University Press) the discussion featured Dr Allyson Lister (Community and Curation Coordinator at FAIRsharing.org; University of Oxford), and Jenny Bright,  (Research Integrity Manager at The Editorial Hub).

Together, they examined insights from the journal’s participation in the Tier 2 Project — a collaborative initiative developing the Editorial Reference Handbook, a practical methodology for improving reproducibility and fairness in research publishing.

Discussion Highlights

1. The Editorial Reference Handbook

Dr Lister introduced the Editorial Reference Handbook, co-created by FAIRsharing.org, Taylor & Francis, and several academic publishers. The handbook provides:

  • A 13-element reproducibility checklist and workflow flowchart for integrating data transparency checks into journal submission systems.

  • Guidance for verifying the availability, licensing, and metadata quality of digital research objects such as datasets, code, and models.

  • A flexible framework adaptable to journals at different stages of implementing reproducibility standards.

The pilot demonstrated that even modest adoption of these checks significantly enhanced data availability and clarity across participating journals.

2. Implementing the Pilot at Data & Policy

Andrew Hyde discussed how Data & Policy integrated the handbook into its editorial workflow.
The journal’s motivations included:

  • Aligning with its founding mission to promote best practices in data transparency and reproducibility.

  • Addressing the complexities of sharing diverse data types in policy research—from third-party and social media data to sensitive or confidential sources.

  • Testing how new reproducibility checks could be embedded sustainably into existing editorial processes.

3. Practical Outcomes and Early Results

Jenny Bright described how the pilot transformed Data & Policy’s review process:

  • Stronger author expectations: Every manuscript must now include a detailed data availability statement referencing all underlying datasets and materials.

  • Expanded editorial checks: Editors use a structured checklist to evaluate data-sharing practices and ensure appropriate repositories, licenses, and justifications for restricted data access.

  • Improved author engagement: Authors are more frequently asked to revise or clarify their statements, leading to higher-quality submissions.

Andrew Hyde presented comparative data showing measurable improvements during the pilot:

  • 100% of articles now include a data availability statement.

  • A rise from 18% to 30% in articles linking to datasets with resolving DOIs.

  • A significant increase in statements that either include openly available data or provide justified reasons for restricted access.

  • Enhanced author awareness and positive feedback on the journal’s strengthened data integrity standards.

4. Broader Impact

The pilot reaffirmed the value of collaborative approaches between journals, publishers, and data stewardship initiatives like FAIRsharing. By co-developing reproducibility standards, the data-for-policy community is helping to:

  • Increase transparency and trust in policy-relevant research.

  • Support responsible data reuse and verification.

  • Strengthen the credibility and societal impact of data-driven policymaking.

This Fireside Chat underscored that raising the quality and reproducibility of data-for-policy research requires not just policy commitments, but practical editorial mechanisms and community-wide collaboration. The Data & Policy experience offers a model for other journals and research organisations aiming to embed FAIR data principles and reproducibility standards into their publishing workflows.

We look forward to the next session in our Fireside Chat series, where we will continue to explore critical issues shaping the future of data governance, AI regulation, and policy innovation.

Further Reading: 

You can access the presentation here.