Discover the FORS replication service

Sharing data and related materials such as analysis codes that have been produced in the context of research projects is more and more encouraged and has become a requirement for many research funders and academic journals. This is expected to contribute to the transparency, replicability, and reproducibility of empirical social science research. Various scientific disciplines are gradually coming to the realization that it is essential to become more transparent through replicable and reusable research processes and results. Recently more and more academic journals are implementing open data policies, posing the question for researchers of where, when, and how to share data as well as other research-related materials. As journals and funders demand the sharing of data used in publications, the way social science research is conducted and disseminated is undergoing a progressive change and the available infrastructure is being adapted. A crucial element of this change is the transparency of research. Related to this, replicability and reproducibility are becoming increasingly important in the social sciences. This includes making research data, analysis code, and study materials freely available. In short, facing an injunction to transparency, replication is a core principle of scientific progress and is part of the evidence-making process. To improve reproducibility processes, FORS has developed a technical solution and guidelines for the dissemination of replication material in the social sciences and related disciplines (e.g. economics, psychology). The FORS replication service is dedicated to replication material (that is assigned a DOI) and allows publishers, reviewers or any interested person to access the data, code and any other files or information needed to enable replication.