Definitions


A variety of definitions are used for the terms reproducibility and replicability. See, for instance, Bollen et al. (2015) and a 2019 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The following definitions are provided in Dreber and Johannesson (2023). Reproducibility is defined as using the original studies' data, while replicability is defined as using data other than what was used in the original studies.

Computational Reproducibility: The ability to duplicate the results of a prior study using the same data and procedures as were used by the original investigator. Computational reproducibility is done using the same computer code (possibly rebuilt from scratch), but can be achieved using a different software package.

Recreate reproducibility: Tests to what extent results in original studies can be reproduced using the information in the original studies without access to the processed data set and/or the analysis code.

Robustness Reproducibility: Tests to what extent results in original studies are robust to alternative plausible analytical decisions using the same data as in the original studies.

Direct Replicability: The ability to duplicate the results of a prior study using new data but the same procedures as were used by the original investigator.

Conceptual Replicability: The ability to duplicate the results of a prior study using new data and different procedures as were used by the original investigator.


Bollen, K., Cacioppo, J. T., Kaplan, R. M., Krosnick, J. A., & Olds, J. L. (2015). Social, behavioral, and economic sciences perspectives on robust and reliable science [Report of the Subcommittee on Replicability in Science Advisory Committee to the National Science Foundation Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences]. National Science Foundation. https://www.nsf.gov/sbe/AC_Materials/SBE_Robust_and_Reliable_Research_Report.pdf
Dreber A, Johannesson M (2023) A Framework for Evaluating Reproducibility and Replicability in Economics. I4R Discussion Paper Series No. 38.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Methods to Foster Transparency and Reproducibility of Federal Statistics: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi.org/10.17226/25305
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Reproducibility and replicability in science. National Academies Press. doi.org/10.17226/25303