The effects of data and code availability policies on journal articles

Abstract

Using 535,838 tests from 21 top economics journals, we analyze the effects of data and code availability policies on characteristics of published journal articles. We use a difference-in-differences imputation design and show that these policies result in less emphasis on statistical significance, more rigor (i.e., more tests and tables), but not in more citations. Our results indicate that these policies might reduce questionable research practices that favor statistically significant findings, while not being rewarded with more citations. We contribute new insights on the effects of journal policies and resolves mixed evidence in previous literature by considering a substantially larger sample.