A push for transparency in research | Appalachian Today

"The field of political science is pushing toward greater data access and research transparency, or DA-RT. An Appalachian State University faculty member is among leaders identifying how best to achieve that, and the recommendations may impact other academic disciplines as well. Dr. Ellen M. Key has published two articles in PS: Political Science and Politics, a journal of the American Political Science Association, calling for the need for improved DA-RT. One, published last month with colleagues at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), identified specific recommendations to improve data organization, clarity and usability. Providing data in the most clear, functional and well-documented way strengthens other researchers’ efforts to replicate studies — and replication is important to science of any kind, she said. “Replication helps verify what we think we know. A lot of studies are probabilistic, so if we can replicate these studies and find findings that are consistent, we’re more confidant that it’s not just a chance finding and that our theories are correct,” said Key, assistant professor in the Department of Government and Justice Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences...."