About this Research Topic
Novel scientific results are often seen as exciting and vital for the advancement of science and human knowledge. This is particularly true for neuroscience, where vast portions of the brain structure and function are still unknown and unexplored. However, like other fields in the life sciences, neuroscience suffers from the "reproducibility/replicability" crisis and many studies have failed replicability tests of scientific methods. This demonstrates the necessity and value to replicate studies and independently verify results. This demand for reproducible practices is not only increasingly demanded in neuroscience but in the entire scientific community.
With this research topic, we aim to stimulate neuroscientists from all fields to design and publish works that rigorously attempt to reproduce landmarks or controversial studies. We are also interested in self-replication studies, where the authors attempt to replicate their own investigations, regardless of when they were published.
We are inviting papers on both:
- "Results reproducibility", i.e., obtain the same results from an independent study with procedures as closely matched to the original study as possible;
- "Inferential reproducibility", i.e. draw the same conclusions from either an independent replication, using different research methodologies, of a study or a reanalysis of the original data.
We will consider both confirmatory and negative results, the unique criteria will be the rigorousness, fairness, and soundness of the replication study.
Authors are required to make all materials and methods used to conduct their research available to other researchers. Data and codes used to analyze results must comply with FAIR principles and should preferably be uploaded to an online repository providing a global persistent identifier (e.g., OSF, Harvard Dataverse, Zenodo). Authors are also strongly encouraged to subject their codes to an independent audit at codecheck.org.uk.
We will consider manuscripts that advance the understanding of healthy brain function and neurological, and psychological diseases. These studies can come from all fields of neuroscience including cellular and molecular, systems, cognitive and behavioural, computational, translational and clinical neuroscience, neuroimaging, and neuroengineering. We will equally value studies involving human subjects or model organisms. These studies can be submitted as Original Articles, Brief Research Reports, and Registered Reports.
With this research topic, we aim to stimulate neuroscientists from all fields to design and publish works that rigorously attempt to reproduce landmarks or controversial studies. We are also interested in self-replication studies, where the authors attempt to replicate their own investigations, regardless of when they were published.
We are inviting papers on both:
- "Results reproducibility", i.e., obtain the same results from an independent study with procedures as closely matched to the original study as possible;
- "Inferential reproducibility", i.e. draw the same conclusions from either an independent replication, using different research methodologies, of a study or a reanalysis of the original data.
We will consider both confirmatory and negative results, the unique criteria will be the rigorousness, fairness, and soundness of the replication study.
Authors are required to make all materials and methods used to conduct their research available to other researchers. Data and codes used to analyze results must comply with FAIR principles and should preferably be uploaded to an online repository providing a global persistent identifier (e.g., OSF, Harvard Dataverse, Zenodo). Authors are also strongly encouraged to subject their codes to an independent audit at codecheck.org.uk.
We will consider manuscripts that advance the understanding of healthy brain function and neurological, and psychological diseases. These studies can come from all fields of neuroscience including cellular and molecular, systems, cognitive and behavioural, computational, translational and clinical neuroscience, neuroimaging, and neuroengineering. We will equally value studies involving human subjects or model organisms. These studies can be submitted as Original Articles, Brief Research Reports, and Registered Reports.
Keywords: Reproducibility, replicability, replication study, FAIR data, open science, scientific rigour
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
