How Researchers Use Open Science

Abstract

The Open Science Revolution of the past two decades has shed light on the questionable research practices (QRPs) credited for low rates of replicability in medical research, the behavioral sciences, and economics. In response, Open Science platforms were developed to allow researchers to commit to pre-specified research plans and make study materials, data, and code publicly available. A survey (N=1,402) of behavioral scientists, economists, and medical scientists explores how engagement with QRPs has changed following pivotal studies addressing the replicability crisis and whether such engagement varies across disciplines. The results show that although the prevalence of QRPs has declined compared to the results from (John et al., 2012), researchers report using Open Science platforms in ways that undermine their effectiveness. Furthermore, there are some disciplinary differences in the types of Open Science behaviors researchers practice.

Keywords: Open Science, Questionable Research Practices

JEL Classification: A19