Teaching Constructive Replications in the Social Sciences

The replication crisis in political science and other social and behavioral sciences spawned a credibility revolution, calling for new open science research practices that ensure greater transparency, including pre-registrations, open data and code and open access. Replications of published research are an important element in this revolution as part of the self-correcting process of scientific knowledge production. Simultaneously, replications can be a pedagogical tool for improving student research method skills and introducing them to best research practices via learning-by-doing. The teaching value of replications is still underutilized thus far, and few examples exist of how quantitative replications can be integrated in undergraduate and graduate courses. This article aims to start filling this gap by offering guidance to instructors in designing and teaching replications for students at various levels and disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences, including a supplementary Teaching Companion.