v2026.1CASRAI Dictionary 714 entries across 20 domains · CC-BY 4.0714 entries · CC-BY 4.0

Dictionary termTrack AStablev2026.2

Replication study

A study whose primary purpose is to re-test a specific claim from a previously-published study, using methods and analyses designed to closely match the original (direct replication) or to test the same hypothesis with deliberately different operationalisations (conceptual replication).

ByCASRAI Editorial Board

· Last updated 21 May 2026

Examples

Worked examples

Is an instance
A direct replication of a 2012 priming study published as a registered report in 2023

Counter-examples

Looks similar, but isn't

Not an instance
A study using similar methods but addressing a new question is an original study, not a replication

Editorial commentary

Replication results contribute to cumulative evidence regardless of direction. Major replication initiatives (Reproducibility Project: Psychology, Cancer Biology) have shown highly variable success rates. Replication studies are increasingly publishable in their own right and may use the registered-report format.

References

Open Science Collaboration 2015 ‘Estimating the Reproducibility of Psychological Science’ Science
Errington et al. 2021 ‘Investigating the Replicability of Preclinical Cancer Biology’ eLife

Also known as

Direct replication · Conceptual replication · Replication

Machine-readable encodings

Use in your systems

JATS XML <role> element

xml

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      vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
      vocab-term="Replication study"
      vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/replication-study" />

Schema.org DefinedTerm (JSON-LD)

json

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  "inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/research-outputs-expanded/",
  "url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/replication-study",
  "sameAs": [
    "Direct replication",
    "Conceptual replication",
    "Replication"
  ],
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}

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