Research Transparency and Reproducibility
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What is research transparency?
Research transparency is a key concept and underpinning principle of open research, promoting values of openness and transparency in the scholarly process. It is an ethical approach to research which improves research integrity and enhances the informational value and impact of research.
Research transparency encompasses a range of open research practices including registering studies; sharing research methodologies; sharing data; and publicly reporting research findings. Adopting transparent and responsible practices improves research integrity and the trustworthiness of scientific findings, and makes research more reproducible.
What is research reproducibility?
Reproducibility is the ability to take a research study, use the same research methodology and data, and find consistent results. Undertaking this exercise is called a replication study. The ‘replication crisis’ in science is a significant methodological issue, where many scientific studies are found to be difficult or impossible to reproduce. Large scale attempts to independently replicate results have taken place across a variety of disciplines and with varying degrees of success. This crisis undermines the credibility of scientific findings. Addressing it and improving research reproducibility is one of the central motivations of the open research movement.
Transparency is key to research reproducibility. The transparent reporting of experimental methods and research data facilitates replication studies. Transparency also allows more effective third-party evaluation and scrutiny of research.
Benefits of research transparency and reproducibility
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Enhances research integrity and credibility
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Facilitates effective interpretation of results
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Improves the quality of research
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Promotes the open dissemination of research and equitable access to scientific and scholarly knowledge
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Researchers and other stakeholders can identify opportunities to collaborate
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As research transparency benefits everyone, including researchers, governments, healthcare providers and members of the public, it is particularly important in publicly funded research. Embedding transparency into the research process, and evidencing this, is therefore becoming an increasingly significant requirement for many journals, institutions, and funders.
More information
The University of Manchester is a member of the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN), a coordinated effort to improve the transparency and reproducibility of research in the UK.