Practical tools and strategies for researchers to increase replicability

Abstract

A growing body of evidence indicates that the effects reported in many scientific fields may be overestimated or even false. This problem has gained a lot of attention in the field of psychology, where researchers have even started to speak of a 'replication crisis'. Fortunately, a number of measures to rectify this problem have already been proposed and implemented, some inspired by practices in other scientific fields. In this review, I briefly examine this issue in the field of psychology and suggest some practical tools and strategies that researchers can implement to increase replicability and the overall quality of their scientific research. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Researchers can implement many practical tools and strategies to improve replicability of their findings. Strategies include improving statistical inference, pre-registration, multisite collaboration, and sharing data. Different scientific fields could benefit from looking at each other's best practices.