The Journal of Comments and Replications in Economics (JCRE) aims to be the premier outlet for articles that comment on or replicate previously published articles in economics and closely related disciplines. Because many journals are reluctant to publish comments and replications, JCRE was founded to provide an outlet for research that explores whether published results stand up to scrutiny, e.g., are correct, robust, and/or generalizable. In doing so, JCRE seeks to increase scientific dialog between researchers and the overall credibility and transparency of research in economics.
JCRE invites comments on published papers submitted to the journal that published the original paper, which has been rejected.
JCRE is also interested in publishing replications. It defines replication as any study that directly addresses the reliability of a specific claim from a previously published study. This includes “reproductions,” “robustness checks,” “generalizations,” and a host of other types of analyses designed to assess the trustworthiness of a previously published result. Editorial decisions are based on the quality of the replication, without regard to whether the results confirm or refute the original study.
Authors wishing to submit comments or replications are encouraged to see the Guidelines for further details. Should their research be published, JCRE will give the authors of the original studies an opportunity to respond.
JCRE requires replications and comments to include data and code that allows their results to be reproduced from original data sources (not “replication files” often provided by journals) by “push button” – running code without modification. Programs and data must be provided to the journal at the time of submission and will be verified by the Managing Editor before being sent out for review. Any confidential data restrictions must be indicated at the time of submission.
All submissions to JCRE must maintain a civil and scientific tone. Submissions that do not meet these criteria will be desk rejected. All submissions are subject to double-blind review.
JCRE is an open-access e-journal and articles are published continuously. Each part of a publication (article, data, and code) is provided with a separate DOI. Data and code are permanently stored in the JCRE data archive. JCRE charges no fees from authors at any point in the submission or publication process.