Consensus
The needs and demands placed on science to address a range of urgent problems are growing. The world is faced with complex, interrelated challenges in which the way forward lies hidden or dispersed across disciplines and organizations. For centuries, scientific research has progressed through iteration of a workflow built on experimentation or observation and analysis of the resulting data. While computers and automation technologies have played a central role in research workflows for decades to acquire, process, and analyze data, these same computing and automation technologies can now also control the acquisition of data, for example, through the design of new experiments or decision making about new observations.
The term automated research workflow (ARW) describes scientific research processes that are emerging across a variety of disciplines and fields. ARWs integrate computation, laboratory automation, and tools from artificial intelligence in the performance of tasks that make up the research process, such as designing experiments, observations, and simulations; collecting and analyzing data; and learning from the results to inform further experiments, observations, and simulations. The common goal of researchers implementing ARWs is to accelerate scientific knowledge generation, potentially by orders of magnitude, while achieving greater control and reproducibility in the scientific process.
Automated Research Workflows for Accelerated Discovery: Closing the Knowledge Discovery Loop examines current efforts to develop advanced and automated workflows to accelerate research progress, including wider use of artificial intelligence. This report identifies research needs and priorities in the use of advanced and automated workflows for scientific research. Automated Research Workflows for Accelerated Discovery is intended to create awareness, momentum, and synergies to realize the potential of ARWs in scholarly discovery.
136 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-68652-0
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-68653-9
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26532
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Automated Research Workflows for Accelerated Discovery: Closing the Knowledge Discovery Loop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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On June 8-9, 2022, an ad hoc planning committee under the auspices of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Committee on Science, Technology, and Law hosted a workshop, Location Data in the Context of Public Health, Research, and Law Enforcement: An Exploration of Governance Frameworks. The workshop examined the collection, interpretation, and use of location data by government, academia, and industry. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.
12 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-69128-1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26645
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Location Data in the Context of Public Health, Research, and Law Enforcement: An Exploration of Governance Frameworks: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
The Roundtable on Aligning Incentives for Open Science of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine brings together stakeholders to discuss the effectiveness of current incentives for adopting open science practices, barriers to adoption, and ways to move forward. According to the 2018 report Open Science by Design: Realizing a Vision for 21st Century Research, open science "aims to ensure the free availability and usability of scholarly publications, the data that result from scholarly research, and the methodologies, including code or algorithms that were used to generate those data." With the Roundtable coming to the end of its initial phase, a virtual workshop, held December 7, 2021, provided an opportunity to review lessons learned over the past 3 years and discuss next steps for Roundtable members, the National Academies, and others interested in advancing open science and open scholarship. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.
8 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-68844-2
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26557
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Open Scholarship Priorities and Next Steps: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in 2015 by all United Nations Member States, offers a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future." The Agenda outlines 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which address a range of global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, and environmental degradation, among others. Advances in technology and the proliferation of data are providing new opportunities for monitoring and tracking the progress of the SDGs. Yet, with these advances come significant challenges, such as a lack infrastructure, knowledge, and capacity to support big data.
To further examine how the global scientific, engineering, and medical communities can better facilitate the effective use of data to advance sustainability in the context of the SDGs, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Board on Research Data and Information and the Science and Technology for Sustainability Program convened a virtual public workshop on September 9-10, 2021. The workshop examined current efforts and initiatives to harness data and data-driven services to advance sustainability around the world. Workshop discussions also explored crosscutting issues, including strengthening the engagement of scientific, engineering, and medical communities on data-related issues, addressing disparities in the ability of societies to utilize data, and lessons learned from global experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.
13 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-29556-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26513
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Data-Informed Societies Achieving Sustainability: Tasks for the Global Scientific, Engineering, and Medical Communities: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has responsibility for protecting public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of drugs, biological products, and medical devices. In certain declared emergencies, FDA has the option to authorize use of a new product or a new use of an approved product - an authority known as Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)- if it has reason to believe that the product may be effective and that its known benefits outweigh its known risks. By contrast, in non-emergency situations, applicants must demonstrate a product's safety and effectiveness through a lengthier, more extensive process.
On October 5-6, 2021, the Committee on Science, Technology, and Law of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a virtual workshop on the EUA process. At the workshop, presenters and participants examined FDA's recent and historic use of EUAs, discussed lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, and considered how those lessons might inform future efforts. The workshop also highlighted emergency mechanisms used by other health regulators and considered how U.S. and global regulatory partners can strengthen cooperation in responding to global health emergencies. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.
13 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-27614-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26441
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. The Food and Drug Administration's Emergency Use Authorization: Lessons Learned from the Past to Guide the Future: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop
The National Academies Roundtable on Aligning Incentives for Open Science, established in 2019, has taken on an important role in addressing issues with open science. The roundtable convenes critical stakeholders to discuss the effectiveness of current incentives for adopting open science practices, current barriers of all types, and ways to move forward in order to align reward structures and institutional values. The Roundtable convened a virtual public workshop on fostering open science practices on November 5, 2020. The broad goal of the workshop was to identify paths to growing the nascent coalition of stakeholders committed to reenvisioning credit/reward systems (e.g., academic hiring, tenure and promotion, and grants)to fully incentivize open science practices. The workshop explored the information and resource needs of researchers, research institutions, government agencies, philanthropies, professional societies, and other stakeholders interested in further supporting and implementing open science practices. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.
120 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-09361-9
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-09362-7
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26308
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Developing a Toolkit for Fostering Open Science Practices: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Congress enacted Section 230 to foster the growth of the internet by providing certain immunities for internetbased technology companies. Section 230 contains two key immunity provisions. The first specifies that a provider of an interactive computer service shall not "be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider," effectively exempting internet social media and networking services from liability under laws that apply to publishers, authors, and speakers. The second provides "good Samaritan" protection for providers who, in good faith, remove or moderate content that is obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable.
While Section 230 has played an important role in development of the internet as a platform for the global exchange of information and ideas, the internet has evolved in unanticipated ways since 1996. Today, a small number of large companies operate social media platforms that millions use for information and public discourse. Concentration of power, disinformation (including sophisticated disinformation campaigns), abuse on social media (hate speech, harassment, bullying, and discriminatory practices), use of algorithms to amplify and target content and advertising, and lack of transparency in content moderation have become issues of increasing concern. There are many opinions regarding potential solutions, including about whether (or by what means) Section 230 should be revised.
On April 22 and 27, 2021, the Committee on Science, Technology, and Law of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a virtual workshop titled Section 230 Protections: Can Legal Revisions or Novel Technologies Limit Online Misinformation and Abuse? Participants and presenters explored the legal, policy, and technological aspects of Section 230 and its relationship with such critical issues as free speech, privacy, and civil rights. The workshop also addressed concerns about internet immunity protections while preserving free speech and democratic norms. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.
13 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-08774-0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26280
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Section 230 Protections: Can Legal Revisions or Novel Technologies Limit Online Misinformation and Abuse?: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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On February 24-25, 2021, an ad hoc planning committee under the auspices of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Committee on Science, Technology, and Law hosted a workshop titled Emerging Areas of Science, Engineering, and Medicine for the Courts. The workshop was organized to explore emerging issues in science, technology, and medicine that might be the basis of new chapters in a fourth edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence. The Reference Manual, a primary resource for federal judges on questions of science in litigation, is a joint publication of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Federal Judicial Center, the research and education arm of the federal judiciary.
Over the course of the workshop, judges discussed how they evaluate scientific evidence in court and scientists and others spoke about emerging issues in science and technology that may come before the courts in coming years. This publication highlights the presentation and discussion of the workshop.
13 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-08553-5
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26231
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Emerging Areas of Science, Engineering, and Medicine for the Courts: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Consensus
Each year, tens of millions of individuals in the U.S. suffer from neurological and psychiatric disorders including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease, and psychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, depression and schizophrenia. Treatments for these diseases are often completely lacking or only partially effective, due in large part to the difficulty of conducting brain research and the complexity of the brain itself.
Researchers in recent years have developed new models to better represent and study the human brain. The three models considered in this report, all of which generate and use pluripotent stem cells from healthy individuals and patients, are human neural organoids, human neural transplants, and human-animal neural chimeras. The Emerging Field of Human Neural Organoids, Transplants, and Chimeras: Science, Ethics, and Governance reviews the status of research, considers its benefits and risks, discusses associated ethical issues, and considers governance mechanisms for this type of research.
152 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-30336-2
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-30352-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26078
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. The Emerging Field of Human Neural Organoids, Transplants, and Chimeras: Science, Ethics, and Governance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Consensus
Climate change is creating impacts that are widespread and severe for individuals, communities, economies, and ecosystems around the world. While efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to climate impacts are the first line of defense, researchers are exploring other options to reduce warming. Solar geoengineering strategies are designed to cool Earth either by adding small reflective particles to the upper atmosphere, by increasing reflective cloud cover in the lower atmosphere, or by thinning high-altitude clouds that can absorb heat. While such strategies have the potential to reduce global temperatures, they could also introduce an array of unknown or negative consequences.
This report concludes that a strategic investment in research is needed to enhance policymakers' understanding of climate response options. The United States should develop a transdisciplinary research program, in collaboration with other nations, to advance understanding of solar geoengineering's technical feasibility and effectiveness, possible impacts on society and the environment, and social dimensions such as public perceptions, political and economic dynamics, and ethical and equity considerations. The program should operate under robust research governance that includes such elements as a research code of conduct, a public registry for research, permitting systems for outdoor experiments, guidance on intellectual property, and inclusive public and stakeholder engagement processes.
328 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-67605-3
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67606-1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25762
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Reflecting Sunlight: Recommendations for Solar Geoengineering Research and Research Governance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
On March 22-23, 2021, an ad hoc planning committee under the auspices of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Committee on Science, Technology, and Law hosted a virtual workshop titled The Science of Implicit Bias: Implications for Law and Policy. Implicit bias has been commonly defined as any unconscious or unacknowledged preferences that can affect a person's beliefs or behaviors, and in particular, an unconscious favoritism toward or prejudice against people of a certain race, gender, or group that influences one's own actions or perceptions. The methods for identifying the presence and degree of an individual's implicit bias, the presence of implicit bias throughout society, and the successes or failures of attempts to mitigate implicit bias are topics of much scientific inquiry, with ramifications for law and policy as well as a multitude of organizational settings. The ways in which implicit bias reflects or contributes to structural and systemic racism in the U.S. remains an open and urgent question. The workshop, organized by the Committee on the Science of Implicit Bias: Implications for Law and Policy, was convened to better understand the state of the science on this topic in the context of critical and ongoing discussions about racism in the United States.
racism in the U.S. Funding for the workshop was provided by the Ford Foundation.
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67764-5
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26191
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. The Science of Implicit Bias: Implications for Law and Policy: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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The movement toward open science, data sharing, and increased transparency is being propelled by the need to rapidly address critical scientific challenges, such as the global COVID-19 public health crisis. This movement has supported growth in fields, such as artificial intelligence (AI), which has demonstrated potential to accelerate science, engineering, and medicine in new and exciting ways. To further advance innovation around these new approaches, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Board on Research Data and Information convened a public virtual workshop on October 14-15, 2020, to address how researchers in different domains are utilizing data that undergo repeated processing, often in real-time, to accelerate scientific discovery. Although these topics were not originally part of the workshop, the impact of COVID-19 prompted the planning committee to add sessions on early career researchers' perspectives, as well as rapid review and publishing activities as a result of the pandemic. Participants also explored the advances needed to enable future progress in areas such as AI, cyberinfrastructure, standards, and policies. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-68046-8
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26203
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Data in Motion: New Approaches to Advancing Scientific, Engineering and Medical Progress: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Biomedical research results in the collection and storage of increasingly large and complex data sets. Preserving those data so that they are discoverable, accessible, and interpretable accelerates scientific discovery and improves health outcomes, but requires that researchers, data curators, and data archivists consider the long-term disposition of data and the costs of preserving, archiving, and promoting access to them.
Life Cycle Decisions for Biomedical Data examines and assesses approaches and considerations for forecasting costs for preserving, archiving, and promoting access to biomedical research data. This report provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for cost-effective decision making that encourages data accessibility and reuse for researchers, data managers, data archivists, data scientists, and institutions that support platforms that enable biomedical research data preservation, discoverability, and use.
184 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-67003-9
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67004-7
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25639
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Life-Cycle Decisions for Biomedical Data: The Challenge of Forecasting Costs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Despite efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, many countries' efforts reduce emissions are falling short of targets needed to limit global warming and its associated negative impacts. While there is widespread agreement that continued efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change are paramount, there is growing interest in "climate intervention" or "geoengineering" approaches, including those that reduce global warming by reflecting sunlight to cool Earth. In a workshop held in August 2019, the National Academies convened experts to inform a larger study on solar geoengineering. Workshop participants discussed the current status of, and future directions for research on solar geoengineering strategies, including stratospheric aerosol injection, marine cloud brightening, and cirrus cloud thinning. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions for the workshop.
14 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67808-0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25815
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Developing a Research Agenda for Solar Geoengineering Strategies: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Despite efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, many countries' efforts reduce emissions are falling short of targets needed to limit global warming and its associated negative impacts. While there is widespread agreement that continued efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change are paramount, there is growing interest in "climate intervention" or "geoengineering" approaches, including those that reduce global warming by reflecting sunlight to cool Earth. In a workshop held in September 2019, the National Academies convened experts to inform a larger study on solar geoengineering. Workshop participants discussed the governance of research at international, national, and sub-national scales and explored research governance mechanisms that might be applied to climate intervention research. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions for the workshop.
10 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67793-9
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25811
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Solar Geoengineering Research Governance: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Biomedical research data sets are becoming larger and more complex, and computing capabilities are expanding to enable transformative scientific results. The National Institutes of Health's (NIH's) National Library of Medicine (NLM) has the unique role of ensuring that biomedical research data are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable in an ethical manner. Tools that forecast the costs of long-term data preservation could be useful as the cost to curate and manage these data in meaningful ways continues to increase, as could stewardship to assess and maintain data that have future value.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop on July 11-12, 2019 to gather insight and information in order to develop and demonstrate a framework for forecasting long-term costs for preserving, archiving, and accessing biomedical data. Presenters and attendees discussed tools and practices that NLM could use to help researchers and funders better integrate risk management practices and considerations into data preservation, archiving, and accessing decisions; methods to encourage NIH-funded researchers to consider, update, and track lifetime data; and burdens on the academic researchers and industry staff to implement these tools, methods, and practices. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-67275-9
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67276-7
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25707
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Planning for Long-Term Use of Biomedical Data: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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The actual and potential benefits of open science include strengthened rigor and reliability, the ability to address new questions,faster and more inclusive dissemination of knowledge, broader participation in research, effective use of resources, improved performance of research tasks, and open publication for public benefit. As one effort to increase the contributions of open science among many, the Board on Research Data and Information of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering,and Medicine established the Roundtable on Aligning Incentives for Open Science. On September 20, 2019, the Roundtable organized a public symposium in Washington, DC to consider some of the barriers and challenges to open science, as well as ways to overcome them. Key external stakeholders - including researchers, librarians, learned societies, publishers and infrastructure developers - shared their insights on the current state of the research ecosystem, as well as their visions for how open science can function at scale. This publication highlights the presentations of the event.
10 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67448-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25725
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Advancing Open Science Practices: Stakeholder Perspectives on Incentives and Disincentives: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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One of the pathways by which the scientific community confirms the validity of a new scientific discovery is by repeating the research that produced it. When a scientific effort fails to independently confirm the computations or results of a previous study, some fear that it may be a symptom of a lack of rigor in science, while others argue that such an observed inconsistency can be an important precursor to new discovery.
Concerns about reproducibility and replicability have been expressed in both scientific and popular media. As these concerns came to light, Congress requested that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conduct a study to assess the extent of issues related to reproducibility and replicability and to offer recommendations for improving rigor and transparency in scientific research.
Reproducibility and Replicability in Science defines reproducibility and replicability and examines the factors that may lead to non-reproducibility and non-replicability in research. Unlike the typical expectation of reproducibility between two computations, expectations about replicability are more nuanced, and in some cases a lack of replicability can aid the process of scientific discovery. This report provides recommendations to researchers, academic institutions, journals, and funders on steps they can take to improve reproducibility and replicability in science.
256 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-48616-5
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-48617-3
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25303
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Reproducibility and Replicability in Science. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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