Replications are pivotal for the credibility of empirical economics. Only replicable and robust results can be generalized. And only generalizable findings can serve as evidence-based advice to economic policy. And yet, replication studies are rarely published in economic journals. The International Journal for Re-Views in Empirical Economics (IREE) is the first journal dedicated to the publication of replication studies in empirical economics.
Until recently, it was difficult for authors of replication studies to gain recognition for their work and to be accepted to publish in citable publication outlets. Since researchers in economics have had little to no incentives to conduct replications, this important kind of studies has been very limited in number. Since IREE is aware of this deficit, we ensure that accepted publications are made citable. We assign a DOI to each article, data set, and programming and additionally restore data sets in a permanent repository. IREE provides this crucial platform to authors so they can be given credit for their important contributions to empirical research in economics.
Traditionally, the publication of replication studies often depends on their results: Replications rejecting the original study tend to get published whereas replications confirming the original findings tend to get rejected in the grounds of lacking scientific impact. This induces a severe publication bias. IREE’s philosophy encourages a transparent and open discourse in empirical economics that elicits high-quality research. Therefore, IREE publishes research independent of the study’s result. We select the articles to be published based on technical and formal criteria but not with regards to their qualitative or quantitative results. Furthermore, IREE is an open access e-journal. All articles are subject to a peer-review process and are published as soon as they are accepted. There are neither publication nor submission fees for the authors.
We recommend our »Editorial Note (2018-2) for more insights.