Current reproducibility practices in management: What they are versus what they could be

Abstract

While debates about a replication crisis in organization studies have taken up significant journal space over the past years, the issue of reproducibility has been mostly ignored. Reproducibility manifests when researchers draw the same conclusions from a reanalysis of the same dataset as used in the original study with the same (literal reproducibility) or superior (constructive reproducibility) data analytic techniques. Reproducibility studies are crucial for correcting accidental mistakes as well as intentional distortions during data preparation and analysis, thus allowing a science to be self-correcting. In the current editorial, we define reproducibility, provide published examples that illustrate the crucial role that reproducibility plays in scientific knowledge production, and offer findings from a review of papers published in the 2019 volumes of Academy of Management Journal and Journal of Management to explore how frequently different forms of reproducibility are employed in the top management outlet. We discuss the implications of our findings for future research and reporting practices and offer guidance for authors, reviewers, and editors.