Self-correction in science: The diagnostic and integrative motives for replication

Area of Science:

• Science and Technology Studies
• Metascience

Background:

• Concerns about scientific self-correction have grown due to failed replications and fraud.
• Metascientific activists propose policies to incentivize and improve the diagnostic power of replications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the dual motivations behind scientific replication: diagnostic testing versus extending research interests.
• To investigate how these motivations shape different "cultures of replication" across scientific fields.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews with 60 members of the Board of Reviewing Editors for the journal *Science*.
• Analysis of the interplay between diagnostic and integrative replication motives within various scientific disciplines.

Main Results:

• Replication is frequently "integrative," aiming to adapt methods for new research goals rather than strictly testing hypotheses.
• Integrative replications can lead to ambiguous diagnostic power within certain experimental cultures.
• The balance between diagnostic and integrative replication motives varies significantly across different scientific fields.

Conclusions:

• Effective reforms for scientific replication must acknowledge and address the disciplinary differences in replication practices and motivations.
• Understanding the "cultures of replication" is crucial for improving the reliability and self-corrective capacity of science.