The Role of Statistics in Promoting Data Reusability and Research Transparency

Abstract

The value of research data has grown as the emphasis on research transparency and data-intensive research has increased. Data sharing is now required by funders and publishers and is becoming a disciplinary expectation in many fields. However, practices promoting data reusability and research transparency are poorly understood, making it difficult for statisticians and other researchers to reframe study methods to facilitate data sharing. This article reviews the larger landscape of open research and describes contextual information that data reusers need to understand, evaluate, and appropriately analyze shared data. The article connects data reusability to statistical thinking by considering the impact of the type and quality of shared research artifacts on the capacity to reproduce or replicate studies and examining quality evaluation frameworks to understand the nature of data errors and how they can be mitigated prior to sharing. Actions statisticians can take to update their research approaches for their own and collaborative investigations are suggested.