Introducing a Framework for Open and Reproducible Research Training (FORRT)

Current norms for the teaching and mentoring of higher education are rooted in obsolete practices of bygone eras. Improving the transparency and rigor of science is the responsibility of all who engage in it. Ongoing attempts to improve research credibility have, however, neglected an essential aspect of the academic cycle: the training of researchers and consumers of research. Principled teaching and mentoring involve imparting students with an understanding of research findings in light of epistemic uncertainty, and moreover, an appreciation of best practices in the production of knowledge. We introduce a Framework for Open and Reproducible Research Training (FORRT). Its main goal is to provide educators with a pathway towards the incremental adoption of principled teaching and mentoring practices, including open and reproducible research. FORRT will act as an initiative to support instructors, collating existing teaching pedagogies and materials to be reused and adapted for use within new and existing courses. Moreover, FORRT can be used as a tool to benchmark the current level of training students receive across six clusters of open and reproducible research practices: 'reproducibility and replicability knowledge', 'conceptual and statistical knowledge', 'reproducible analyses', 'preregistration', 'open data and materials', and 'replication research'. FORRT will strive to be an advocate for the establishment of principled teaching and mentorship as a fourth pillar of a true scientific utopia.[working document here: https://tinyurl.com/FORRTworkingDOC]