# Reproducing research

A [discussion of the reproducibility of research ](https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article/63/11/1777/5612710)referencing an [NSF study](http://ora.emory.edu/research-compliance/oric/documents1/8%20-%20Social,%20Behavioral,%20and%20Economic%20Sciences%20Perspectives%20on%20Robust%20and%20Reliable%20Science.pdf) make the point that one must distinguish between **reproducibility**, which is the ability to duplicate results using the same raw data (and procedures) whereas **replicability** is the ability of a study to duplicate results with newly collected data. Other, [finer grained, definitions](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27252173/) have also been proposed, particularly for medical and social science studies.

## Use of Provenance in Reproducibility

As noted below, the [Provenance Informatio](/labdrive/data-curation-and-preservation-1/how-to-deal-with-additional-information/provenance-information.md)n of a Data Object is extremely important in terms of providing details of how that Data Object has been created - including what inputs, processes and parameters have been used.

## LABDRIVE support for Reproducibility

LABDRIVE supports **reproducibility**, as defined as the ability to duplicate results using the same raw data and procedures, by being able to preserve:

* the raw data - preserved as **Data Objects**, requiring little or no Representation Information, but adequate **Provenance** etc.
* the procedures performed - as preserved in the form of text or scripting languages with additional information in the **Provenance**. Note that some of the Provenance Information may be in the header of the data files e.g. in FITS files.
* the software used - preserved as described in [Software as part of the RIN](/labdrive/data-curation-and-preservation-1/preservation-activities/adding-representation-information/other-representation-information/software-as-part-of-the-rin.md).

Reproducibility of computer based research using encapsulated complex software is discussed in terms of the usability of such software in:

* [Jupyter Notebooks as Other RepInfo](/labdrive/data-curation-and-preservation-1/preservation-activities/adding-representation-information/other-representation-information/software-as-part-of-the-rin/preserving-simple-software/method-2-interactive-computational-notebooks-jupyther-notebooks.md)
* [Docker and other containers as Other RepInfo](/labdrive/data-curation-and-preservation-1/preservation-activities/adding-representation-information/other-representation-information/software-as-part-of-the-rin/preserving-complex-software/emulation-virtualisation/containers-dockers.md)
* [Virtual machines as Other RepInfo](/labdrive/data-curation-and-preservation-1/preservation-activities/adding-representation-information/other-representation-information/software-as-part-of-the-rin/preserving-complex-software/emulation-virtualisation/method-3-emulation-i.e.-true-emulation-virtualization-and-containerization.md)
* [Use of ReproZip](/labdrive/data-curation-and-preservation-1/preservation-activities/adding-representation-information/other-representation-information/software-as-part-of-the-rin/preserving-complex-software/method-4-migration-1.md)

Of course being able to preserve the procedures and software allows LABDRIVE users to also carry out **replicability** studies, by collecting fresh raw data.

These complex software set-ups may be useful in [Exploiting preserved information](/labdrive/data-curation-and-preservation-1/exploiting-preserved-information.md).


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.libnova.com/labdrive/data-curation-and-preservation-1/reproducing-research.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.