6.4 Benefits of replication services
Over the last years, with the adoption of Open Science principles, the growing visibility of data, open access publications, and the variety of stakeholders involved, the data landscape has become extremely complex. This landscape provides opportunities as well as challenges for CESSDA Service Providers to enhance ties and to strengthen networking with the research communities they serve, as well as the world of publishers and scientific journals.
6.4.1. Benefits for researchers
Researchers must build their academic track records and therefore conduct research that will then be published. Thus, in the complex picture of researchers, funders, and publishers, the role of the data repositories–such as CESSDA Service Providers–becomes decisive. Researchers can rely upon trusted services provided by CESSDA SPs and have confidence in the submission of their data and replication materials in trustworthy repositories (i.e, certified by CoreTrustSeal) - refer to Chapter 5 for more on this topic.
At a broader level, replication services can help researchers to understand which of the results generated by empirical studies are robust, generalizable, and replicable, and which can be re-used for further research (applicable for science) or for evidence-based policy research (consultation for policy makers). Researchers can further benefit from high-quality replication services to conduct new and creative research. Such examples promote researchers’ data sharing awareness while, at the same time, require data stewardship and expertise of CESSDA SPs and repositories to meet these needs.
Researchers' attitudes concerning data sharing depend on several issues, including the condition and documentation of the data, the effort and cost for sharing, and prospects of publishing and being cited in the future. Based on a survey of major journals (Gleditsch et al 2003), it was demonstrated that an article that makes data available is more than twice as likely to be cited as one that does not. The authors concluded that making replication data available has significant benefits for researchers in terms of data citations. A more recent study (Balafoutas et al 2025) supports this conclusion as well as noting that aligning priorities to support replication studies are necessary, including institutional support. This is where the role of data archives and repositories can come into view.
6.4.2. Benefits for data archives and repositories
By developing and providing replication services for social science researchers, repositories consolidate their positioning within the complex data landscape, as well as in Open Science research. They broaden their audiences by supporting authors who are seeking advice and support for making their data related to publications compliant with journals’ requirements. Finally, when repositories cooperate with journals in order to support them for their data policies, data citation, and the archiving of replication data and materials, they can be listed and recognised in the larger academic community as recommended and trusted repositories.