Computational Reproducibility in Social Research

April 12, 2026

Explore how reproducible survey-based research is in the social sciences with this recent publication co-authored by OSC members, Prof. Dr. Katrin Auspurg and Daniel Krähmer, and their colleague, Laura Schächtele. The publication examines whether social scientists share their code for published research findings and whether their code allows reproducing original results.

Read the full publication here: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.251997

Abstract

The research team first contacted the authors of more than 1,000 studies using data from the European Social Survey (ESS), but only about one-third provided their analysis code upon request. Many authors did not respond, no longer had access to the code, or had not archived it properly. This means that for a large share of studies, the analytical process behind published results cannot be fully reconstructed.

In a second step, the researchers evaluated the reproducibility of results when code is available. They selected a subset of studies and attempted to reproduce hundreds of reported findings using authors‘ shared materials. However, only around half of the findings could be exactly reproduced, while others showed deviations or could not be reproduced due to incomplete or poorly documented materials. These findings highlight that sharing materials alone is not sufficient. Reproducibility depends on the clarity, completeness, and usability of the shared workflow.

Proposed solutions

The article emphasizes the need for institutional adoption of open research practices. Journals should require authors to share both data and analysis code, and to properly archive and document materials. In addition, data providers should ensure that datasets are clearly versioned and remain accessible over time. More broadly, fostering a research culture that values transparency and reproducibility can help ensure that scientific results are verifiable and reusable.

Open Science practices can strengthen the reliability and cumulative nature of social science research by improving access to complete and well-documented research workflows.