Replication is one key to ensuring the credibility of and confidence in research findings. Yet replication papers are rare in political science and related fields. Research & Politics welcomes replications as regular submissions and is happy to announce a call for abstracts for a special issue on methods, practices and ethics for replication.

This special issue is in collaboration with the Institute for Replication and particularly welcomes three types of papers, without excluding other forms of replication.

First, we invite reproduction or replication of prominent research, especially studies that are frequently cited or used in policy making. We particularly encourage replication/reproduction manuscripts that advance theory or methods in some way beyond just the specific application. For example, papers of this type might examine whether new data and methods lead to new insights, and if so, why.

Second, we welcome multiple replications or reproductions on a given topic. This type of meta-replication may, for instance, contextualize the replicability of an individual study in the context of related studies. Another possibility is to combine studies using the same data (methods) with different methods (data) and investigate whether the difference in findings may be explained.

Third, we encourage theoretical papers that consider incentives, norms and ethics that can guide the practice of replication.

Abstracts should be submitted as a normal submission though the Research & Politics ScholarOne submission site. In the cover letter please indicate that you wish the abstract to be considered for the special issue on replication. 

Abstracts should be less than 1 page long. Proposals that do not meet our editorial criteria will receive only a brief reply. Proposals that appear to have potential for publication will receive more detailed feedback and may be invited to submit a complete paper.

If selected to this second stage, full papers will be peer reviewed and managed by the guest editors.  

The submission deadline is September 15, 2022.

For more information, contact Abel Brodeur, abrodeur@uottawa.ca.