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Replication in Social Science

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  • Freese, Jeremy
  • Peterson, David

Abstract

Across the medical and social sciences, new discussions about replication have been transforming research practices. Sociologists, however, have been largely absent from these discussions. The goals of this review are to introduce sociologists to these developments, synthesize insights from science studies about replication in general, and detail the specific issues regarding replication that occur in sociology. The first half of the article argues that a sociologically sophisticated understanding of replication must take into account both the ways that replication rules and conventions evolved within an epistemic culture and how those cultures are shaped by specific research challenges. The second half outlines the four main dimensions of replicability in quantitative sociology- verifiability, robustness, repeatability, and generalizability- and discusses the specific ambiguities of interpretation that can arise in each. We conclude by advocating some commonsense changes to promote replication while acknowledging the epistemic diversity of our field.

Suggested Citation

  • Freese, Jeremy & Peterson, David, 2017. "Replication in Social Science," SocArXiv 5bck9, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:5bck9
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/5bck9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Jesse Chandler & et. al, 2016. "Response to Comment on "Estimating the Reproducibility of Psychological Science"," Mathematica Policy Research Reports cff9c2f16bb544c4bcca530c0, Mathematica Policy Research.
    6. Annette N. Brown & Drew B. Cameron & Benjamin D. K. Wood, 2014. "Quality evidence for policymaking: I'll believe it when I see the replication," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(3), pages 215-235, September.
    7. Lall, Ranjit, 2016. "How Multiple Imputation Makes a Difference," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(4), pages 414-433.
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