About this resource

    Type of resources
    Primary Source, Reading, Paper
    Education level(s)
    College / Upper Division (Undergraduates)
    Primary user(s)
    Student, Teacher
    Subject area(s)
    Applied Science, Social Science
    Language(s)
    English
    Cluster
    Replication Crisis and Credibility Revolution
    Last updated
    29 October 2026
    Primary SourceReadingPaper

    Facts Are More Important Than Novelty: Replication in the Education Sciences

    By Matthew C. Makel, Jonathan A. Plucker

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    Level College / Upper Division (Undergraduates) · For Student, Teacher · Language English

    Abstract

    Despite increased attention to methodological rigor in education research, the field has focused heavily on experimental design and not on the merit of replicating important results. The present study analyzed the complete publication history of the current top 100 education journals ranked by 5-year impact factor and found that only 0.13% of education articles were replications. Contrary to previous findings in medicine, but similar to psychology, the majority of education replications successfully replicated the original studies. However, replications were significantly less likely to be successful when there was no overlap in authorship between the original and replicating articles. The results emphasize the importance of third-party, direct replications in helping education research improve its ability to shape education policy and practice.

    Keywords Reproducibility Crisis and Credibility Revolution