Felice J. Levine (AERA) and Jim Lewis (NSF)

July 2017

More than 60 participants, including representatives from 13 associations and 18 journals, gathered in Washington, D.C., on July 25–27 for an intensive workshop on data sharing and research transparency at the article publishing stage.

The workshop, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), brought together journal editors, early career scholars, association leaders, invited experts, and federal officials to discuss issues involved in data sharing and advancing scientific knowledge. AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine, principal investigator of the project, chaired the workshop.

“This workshop by design is a collaborative initiative involving editors, early career scholars, and research associations,” said Levine. “We are all committed to the same goals of building knowledge that is transparent and well-warranted and that can lead to new contributions. In taking a lead, AERA seeks to stimulate consideration of this issue across arenas of inquiry and methods of analyses, engaging other associations and especially our next generations.”

Rob Ochsendorf (NSF) and Karen Murphy  (RRE Editor)

The workshop allowed for considerable discussion and exchange in plenary and break-out sessions. Emphasis was placed on the value of data and data-related information as research contributions in their own right. A theme was not only the importance of data access but also responsible data citation and use. Attention was also given to sharing data-related information (e.g., code and procedures) as part of transparent reporting, even under circumstances when article-related data cannot be shared (e.g., use of restricted data files).

Plenary sessions offered the opportunity for attendees to engage in dialogue on emerging areas of open science and research transparency, including why researchers should share data; how data archives serve as mediators of open data sharing; and the role of replication research and reproducibility. William Riley, director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Eamonn Kelly, senior adviser at the NSF Education and Human Resources Directorate; and Chris Chapman, associate commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), discussed federal initiatives that provide avenues and incentives for data sharing.

Skip Lupia

Greg Duncan, coeditor of AERA Open, provided timely examples of data sharing guidelines, and Arthur (Skip) Lupia, Hal R. Varian Collegiate Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan, and chair of the board of the Center for Open Science, gave an overview of the Guidelines for Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) in Journal Policies and Practices. Margaret (Maggie) Levenstein, director of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), led a discussion on how data can be shared, including with access to restricted data files, while maintaining adherence to ethical guidelines.

Breakout sessions provided intensive opportunity to drill down on topics and to look ahead. They included consideration of data sharing strategies for different types of data, issues of significance for editors and early career scholars (in separate breakout sessions), and next steps for participating associations to consider together as well as within their “home” associations.  

At the conclusion of the workshop, participants adopted the following resolution:

“On the 27th day of July 2017 in Washington, D.C., with the unanimous consent of those assembled, 50 journal editors, early career scholars, research association leaders in education and learning science, and other experts affirmed their commitment to:

• transparent reporting of research;
• responsible sharing and use of data; and 
• the value of diverse contexts, methods, and modes of inquiry

to advance education knowledge and serve the public good.

Acknowledging the progress made at the AERA-NSF Workshop on Data Sharing and Research Transparency at the Article Publishing Stage, participants determined to continue to work within and across their research associations to cultivate wider knowledge of these issues and inspire our research communities to achieve their highest ideals."

First row: Barbara Crawford, Julie Turner, Deanna Dannels, Joy Kennedy, Cynthia Garcia Coll, Robyn Read, Lisa Benson, Christy Talbot Second row: P. Karen Murphy, Felice Levine, Elizabeth Albro, Eric Dubow, Jan Van Aalst, Rebecca Maynard, Laura Valdiviezo, Susan Yoon, Adela Soliz, Vivian Wong, Stephen Hwang, Patricia Lopez, Jamaal Matthews, Carolyn Herrington, Kevin Foster Third row: Ben Herman, Rob Ochsendorf, Panayiota Kendeou, Arthur (Skip) Lupia, Joseph Mazer, Margaret Levenstein, Deleon Gray, Evan Heit, Chris Curran, William Therrien Fourth row: Bjorn Nordtveit, Jonathan Templin, Greg Duncan, Jason Travers, Mark Berends, Rick Gilmore, Cynthia Langrall, Erica Musser, Ben Shear, Katherine Rosich Last Row: Bodong Chen, Austin Ryland, John Neikirk, George Wimberly (This photo includes 47 of the 61 attendees who participated in the Workshop from July 25-27, 2017.)