Open Science Reform and Social Science Progress

Abstract

Social science reform focused on research documenting problems of replication and proposed open science practices. The associated debates have drawn attention to the many biases involved in research and to the misaligned professional incentives that perpetuate them. The reform efforts have made considerable progress quickly, in self-understanding and even in changing research practices. Where it has gone too far in emphasizing experimental methodologies for testing of causal hypotheses, reformers and critics alike have promoted procedures that reflect social science diversity and acknowledge the importance of self-conscious exploratory work. In the process, several social science revolutions have made shared progress more likely: middle-range empiricism has risen over grand theory; open and big data has stimulated new work while enabling cross-checking; new causal identification strategies have enabled observational work to speak to experimental concerns; and the rise of team science has forced us to reconcile theoretical perspectives and build on individual strengths.