Instructions for Depositing Data to the AEA Data and Code Repository

  1. Select "Share Data".
    • You will be directed to your openICPSR Workspace, where you will see a list of previously created projects and those that have been shared with you (if applicable).
  2. Click "Create New project".
    • Select “American Economic Association Data and Code Repository” in the “Select a repository” field.
    • Provide a descriptive project title. Title should be "Data and Code for: [Title of article]" or "Replication Data for: [Title of Article]". Careful to avoid LaTeX code!
    • Click "Save & Apply" to create a new project.
    • Click "View Project" to open the newly created project.
  3. Fill out study-level metadata as appropriate, including information about “Scope of Project” and “Methodology”
    • Complete the list of principal investigators (authors). Please ensure that all authors have affiliations (if not affiliated: “Independent Researcher”).
    • Add a descriptive summary of your project. This can be a copy of the abstract from your article, a note that this is data and/or code accompanying the article, and/or text that clearly allows people to understand the purpose of these materials independently.
    • Select subject terms (e.g., “Machine Learning” or “Randomized Control Trial”).
    • Select JEL classification(s) (can be the same as article).
    • Fill in the manuscript number (your Scholar One tracking number as assigned by the editorial office, e.g., “AER-2019-0000”); this will allow us to properly connect the repository with the manuscript.
    • See the AEA Data and Code Guidance page for other suggested metadata fields to complete. For example, additional subject terms are strongly encouraged, in addition to defining the geographical scope, universe, time periods, and data type as relevant to your project.
      1. When only code is produced, authors should choose data type = program source code.
      2. The "Methodology" section is particularly relevant for survey or experimental data: response rates, sampling rates, etc.
  4. Upload data, computer programs, sets of computer program codes, extracts of existing data files, and supporting documentation necessary to replicate the results of your analyses.
    • Choose "Upload Files" to add multiple files; choose "Import from ZIP" to upload a ZIP file. AEA requires that you import zip files instead of uploading as-is.
      1. Please upload the README (in PDF or TXT format) as the very first file - ensuring that it can be found easily by browsers of the archive.
      2. If the uncompressed contents of the deposit (the unzipped size of the zip file) are larger than 30GB, or if you have more than 1,000 files in your deposit, please email icpsr-help@umich.edu with your project number, expected size, and/or number of files to identify an upload solution for your project.
      3. After clicking the appropriate button, drag and drop your files or choose files through a file selection window.
      4. Click "Upload" to transfer files into your openICPSR project workspace.
    • Close the upload window after the files are uploaded successfully.
    • You should see a list of files and directories in your openICPSR project workspace. The idea structure includes:
      1. No redundant directories: the first things you should see are the README and any subdirectories.
      2. There should be no zip files!
      3. The structure should be as you last ran the code. Note that the AEA staff will not re-arrange or otherwise restructure your deposit in any way. What you see in the deposit interface is what others will see once it is published.
    • See the AEA Data and Code Guidance page for additional guidance.
  5. Under the "Related Publications" section, add a new entry by clicking "Add value"
    • Select "Is supplemented by" as type.
    • Select "Manually Enter Citation" (even if you were provided a DOI!), and then select "Journal Article" as the publication type.
    • Fill in the title and authors of the submitted article or manuscript (which may differ from the name of the uploaded dataset).
    • Enter the name of the AEA journal you submitted to.
  6. When you are ready to release the deposit to the AEA Data Editor for further review (i.e., all data files are present, metadata fields are complete), click on the “Change Status” dropdown menu and choose the “Submit to AEA” option.
    • You can “Recall” the submission from the same drop-down menu if you find you need to make any changes or updates to your deposit.
  7. The AEA Data Editor will review the submission, request revisions or reject the deposit if necessary, and notify the editorial assistant when the files are ready for publication. Publication will be timed to coincide with the publication of the article.
  8. You can add an entry to the “Project Communication Log” at any point in this process in order to communicate with your collaborators with whom you have shared your deposit or with the AEA administrators.
    • Click on “add entry” to fill out your communication log message.
    • Please include your Scholar One number in the subject of your message and the author/title of the manuscript if different from the authors of the deposit.
    • If you have had prior contact with the AEA Data Editor, you will also have a separate ID from that interaction (e.g. [AEJPOLICY-01]). Please add that number.
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