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conbio-reporting-and-data-policy

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Use when preparing the data-availability statement and the data/code archive for a Conservation Biology manuscript. The journal (Wiley/SCB) requires a data-availability statement for research/synthesis articles, encourages data sharing, and requires sensitive species data to be protected. Prepares the package; it does not waive requirements.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills/blob/HEAD/Conservation-Biology-Skills/skills/conbio-reporting-and-data-policy/SKILL.md

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Reporting & Data Policy (conbio-reporting-and-data-policy)

Conservation Biology needs a data-availability statement for research/synthesis articles. The journal-specific Wiley data-sharing tier is Encourages, so the operating standard for this pack is: archive shareable data and code in an appropriate repository (e.g., Dryad, Zenodo, Figshare, GenBank) with a persistent identifier, and document restrictions when data cannot be shared. Build the package as you go so acceptance does not stall.

When to trigger

  • Writing the data-availability statement and assembling the archive
  • A manuscript is heading toward acceptance and you need the deposit ready
  • Data cannot be fully shared (sensitive species, privacy, legal/provider restrictions)
  • A Review or synthesis where the screened-study dataset should be shared

What to prepare

  1. Data-availability statement. A short statement in the manuscript saying where the data and code are (repository + DOI/identifier), or why they cannot be shared and how to obtain them.
  2. Repository deposit where sharing is possible. Place shareable data and code in a recognized archive with a persistent identifier and a guarantee of preservation — not a personal website or transient cloud link. Dryad is widely used for ecology/conservation; software-heavy work may also use Zenodo/GitHub-Zenodo.
  3. Quantitative materials. Data, code, and documentation sufficient to regenerate every reported result: master script + README + pinned versions + seeds.
  4. Synthesis materials. For Reviews/meta-analyses, share the screening decisions, included-study list, and extracted effect sizes.

Sensitive-species & restricted data (a conservation-specific duty)

  • Protect at-risk taxa. For threatened, exploited, or trafficked species, mask or coarsen precise localities (nests, dens, roosts, populations) so the archive cannot aid poaching or disturbance; state that you have done so.
  • Restricted data. If data are restricted (Indigenous data sovereignty, provider agreements, privacy), explain why, give instructions on how others can request access, and provide synthetic or aggregated data where feasible so the code can be exercised.

Build-as-you-go checklist

  • One master script regenerates every table and figure from raw/constructed data
  • README documents data provenance, construction steps, and how to reproduce each exhibit
  • Seeds set and reported for every stochastic step
  • Software/package versions pinned (renv.lock / requirements.txt / recorded installs)
  • Data-availability statement drafted with repository + identifier or restriction/access route
  • Sensitive localities masked/coarsened; masking noted
  • Restricted data: reason + access instructions + synthetic/aggregated substitute

Anti-patterns

  • Treating the deposit as a post-publication afterthought
  • A personal URL instead of a persistent-identifier repository
  • Publishing precise locations of threatened or trafficked species
  • Claiming data are restricted with no access path or synthetic substitute
  • Undocumented, un-seeded, unpinned code that "works on my machine"

Operating pass for Conservation Biology

Use this as a second-pass capability check. First lock the species/system threat, conservation decision, and uncertainty relevant to action; then test whether the manuscript addresses conservation-science reviewers who ask whether evidence changes biodiversity, management, or policy action.

  • Primary move: Return a claim-evidence-risk ledger; every recommendation must point to a manuscript location or missing artifact.
  • Decision ledger: return claim / evidence / blocker / next edit rows so the next pass can patch the manuscript directly.
  • Neighbor test: compare against Biological Conservation for applied conservation breadth, Global Change Biology for climate/ecosystem process, Ecology Letters for theory-forward ecology; if the neighboring outlet has the stronger audience claim, recommend re-routing before polishing.
  • Submission-ready gate: before final advice, re-open resources/official-source-map.md for upload-week rules and name the one live-check item that could change the recommendation.

Output format

【Repository】Dryad / Zenodo / other — package staged? [Y/N]
【Data-availability statement】drafted with DOI/identifier? [Y/N]
【Reproduces tables/figures?】master script verified locally? [Y/N]
【Documentation】README + provenance + seeds + pinned versions? [Y/N]
【Sensitive data】localities masked / restricted-data access path? [Y/N/NA]
【Next】conbio-writing-style

Supplementary resources