CEGA recognizes that for research to be deemed credible, it must be conducted in a transparent and reproducible manner.
Espousing the principles of research transparency and reproducibility dictates that researchers clearly and precisely document, report, and share the data, materials, methods, and analytical decisions used during the course of a project in ways that facilitate replication, collaboration, and reuse.
Research transparency and reproducibility advances CEGA’s mission in three important ways by:
- Asserting the rigor of research used for policy and affirming its evidentiary value through replication;
- Enabling cooperation, accumulation of knowledge, and free exchange of ideas among the research community; and
- Facilitating the inclusion of scholars from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by lowering barriers to access and participation.
Researchers supported by CEGA are required to:
- Register all prospective research studies with a recognized registry before data collection for the project (this does not include developing pre-analysis plans). Preliminary fieldwork and pilot projects are exempt from this requirement.
- Disclose in all proposal submissions to CEGA whether, and if so, how they intend to share all data, code and study materials for the purpose of replication and reuse.
We recommend that researchers also implement the following measures:
- Develop pre-analysis plans, documenting in detail all procedures for data collection, processing, and analysis;
- Ensure that research outputs are fully computationally reproducible, in that data, materials, code, and detailed accounts of study procedures would allow an informed researcher to reproduce all of the results precisely and with minimal effort;
- Provide unrestricted access to, and reuse of, all publications and research outputs resulting from projects, for example through open access publication.
The CEGA Policy on Research Transparency and Reproducibility articulates our commitment to support such standards for all empirical research projects supported in whole or in part by CEGA. In cases where research projects supported by CEGA are subject to additional transparency and/or reproducibility policies – for example, from donor organizations – the higher standards necessarily apply.
Read the full Policy on Research Transparency and Reproducibility to learn more, and find details on recommended best practices.
