Research Reproducibility Activities in Health Sciences Libraries

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to understand how medical and health sciences librarians engage with research reproducibility (RR) at their institutions. Methods: We conducted 11 semi-structured interviews with medical and health sciences librarians from different institutions across the United States who are engaged in RR work. We used template analysis to identify eight themes related to librarian engagement with RR. Results: Within medical and health sciences libraries, research reproducibility work and services are seldom described in those terms, and are often hidden within other data services. RR work is highly dependent on institutional context, such as availability of partners and institutional needs. Most of the RR work is handled by individuals or teams who tend to focus on data services broadly. Meaningful assessment of the work is not done well at present. Getting administrators, researchers, and other stakeholders to associate the library with RR is a particular challenge. Librarians who are interested in RR could learn from others who are doing the work, understand their institutional context, identify relevant institutional partners, and model RR practices in their own work.Conclusion: There are a variety of research reproducibility services in health sciences libraries. These services are dependent on institutional context and partners, and often integrated in other data services. More research is needed to understand various aspects of this work, including the impact of the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy.Author Contributions: [PI initials MM]: Conceptualization, Project administration, Methodology, Investigation, Formal Analysis, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing; [Co-PI initials SS]: Methodology, Investigation, Formal Analysis, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing