SOEP Brown Bag Seminar

The replicability crisis highlights the need for more transparent and robust research practices. Lab² (Lab-Square) is a collaborative initiative using meta-scientific approaches to improve research credibility. Through large-scale projects like Many-Labs, Many-Designs, and Many-Analysts, we assess the generalizability of findings across populations, methods, and analytical approaches. Lab² also investigates how research decisions are made, examining the role of beliefs, biases, and norms in shaping scientific practices. Our studies include multi-analyst projects using SOEP data, large-scale survey experiments, and empirical tests of methodological rigor. By integrating decision science into meta-research, we aim to open the “black box” of scientific inference. This talk will introduce Lab²’s approach, ongoing projects, and its role in fostering transparency, reducing publication bias, and strengthening the reliability of scientific findings.