Taking stock of the credibility revolution: Scientific reform 2011-2019

Abstract

With the rapid technological improvements made in the past decade, the results of psychological research done around the globe have been made readily available for scientists to build further research off of. However, any subsequent experiments would require scientists to have complete certainty in the research that they are building their foundations on in order to produce reliable results. With that being said, psychological research has an incredible amount of variables ranging from gender perspectives to cultural biases, so the ability to recreate the results of other scientists in similar conditions is vital in providing that certainty for researchers to conduct a more in depth exploration. Where this has become a crisis is that there have been an alarming number of experiments revealed to singularities and unable to be reproduced in any scientifically acceptable manner. Since publications of scientific research generally mandate the documentation of all aspects of the experiment conducted, an inability for subsequent researchers to follow the same criteria and produce the same results creates a defective base that nothing can be built on. As with any scientific field, psychology has infinitely more aspects for scientists to research as our understanding is constantly being expanded and clarified, but this cannot be done with fraudulent and overblown results diluting veritable outcomes. This chapter is particularly concerned with the events that led to the realization that there is, in fact, a reproducibility crisis in psychological publications. Whether it be data fabritation or the lack of research validation and transparency, recent revelations have highlighted the significant need for replications in order to validate reported findings.