What is RadSecLexis?
The Stimson Center’s Radiological Source Security Legal Index and Online Tool (RadSecLexis) project is part of the Stimson Center’s Partnerships in Proliferation Prevention program’s effort to reduce radiological security risks. For more information about the RadSecLexis project, read our About page.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Radiological Security generously funded this project through the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
How do I use the Radiological Source Security Legal Index?
The Radiological Source Security Legal Index has not yet been released, this beta website is provided for demonstration, feedback, or data confirmation purposes only. Once the tool is released, you will be able to use it to research legal frameworks of a particular country that are applicable to the security of radioactive material, to look for trends in implementation of international guidance and best practices for radioactive material security, and much more. You will be able to download specific legal measures, you will have the opportunity to see at a glance how many indicators of radioactive source material a particular country’s laws address, and compare how well different countries’ laws implement those indicators of radioactive source material security.
QuickFind on the home page: Select the first letter of the name of the state you would like to research. From the list of country names that appears, select the name of the state you would like to research. You will see a rollup score for the country’s radioactive material security indicators in six different categories and overall.
Legal Measures: From the state’s profile page, you can click Review Detail to expand the full list of radioactive material security criteria, information about which criteria the country’s laws satisfy, and links to the law or laws which satisfy a particular criteria.
Compare: You can compare two or more states by clicking on the Compare link in the site’s menu or by choosing Add to Compare on a review detail page. On the Compare page, you can also select additional states to compare.
Translation: The RadSecLexis website is available in Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Spanish, and Russian. To view the site in one of these languages, click on the language icon and the page you are on will be translated automatically.
Can I use this data elsewhere, such as in my own research?
Not yet. All of the data in RadSecLexis is derived from open sources and is freely available for reuse and reference. However, the data on the site is only the beta version and we have yet to publish a final our public product. Once RadSecLexis is launched, we will simply ask that you include a citation to RadSecLexis and the date of access in your references or bibliography. We will also like to track and share user outputs using our data, so we would welcome an update if you publish anything referencing RadSecLexis.
Can I get a copy of the raw data?
Researchers can request a copy of the raw beta data and codebook. See the methodology & data page for more information.
How do I cite the Radiological Source Security Legal Index?
Please use the following citation: Stimson Center’s Radiological Source Security Legal Index, supported by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, [Name of state and review year], [Date of access], https://radseclexis.stimson.org/
Who built this tool?
RadSecLexis is being designed and produced by the Stimson Center’s Partnerships in Proliferation Prevention program. Stimson is a Washington D.C. based think tank which promotes international security, shared prosperity and justice through applied research and independent analysis, deep engagement, and policy innovation. More at stimson.org.
Where did you get your data?
Legal measures were obtained from public sources and government legislative indexes. Those present in RadSecLexis were identified using the 2020 country matrices published by the UN 1540 Committee. Learn more about the project’s dataset and methodology for collecting and assessing legal measures.
How were countries scored?
Scoring was performed by the team at the Stimson Center using a codebook drawn from IAEA and UN guidance on radioactive material security. Learn more about the project’s methodology for collecting and assessing legal measures.
How often do you update the data?
RadSecLexis will be updated with new relevant legal measures for each new iteration. It will not updated in between these phases. The RadSecLexis team is currently working on phase 1, with data scheduled to be released in 2023. New data will be available with phase 2.
What is a Legal Measure?
“Legal Measure” is a broad term for a law, regulation, or requirement with the force of law in a state. Learn more about the project’s methodology for collecting and assessing legal measures.
What can I do if I identify incorrect, out of date, or missing legal measures?
Access to this beta website is provided specifically for feedback or data confirmation purposes. To help us identify incorrect, out of date, or missing relevant legal measures, please contact [email protected] or submit a correction request via the form on the Methodology & Data page .
I have produced something using the Legal Index. How do I submit it to you for publication and sharing?
Please be aware that the data on this website it not currently final, access to this beta website is provided for demonstration, feedback, or data confirmation purposes only. Please email our team at [email protected] to share your charts, infographics, articles, and other outputs! We are not able to publish every item that uses or references RadSecLexis, but if your piece contributes something new to the discussion about radiological material security we would like to see it and may highlight some items in a blog post.
Who do I contact with questions or interest in engaging?
Please email our team at [email protected]