Why Re-Invent the Wheel? Why We Need Duplications

JKU researcher Georg Krammer is advocating for more duplications in journals.

Georg Krammer; Credit: JKU
Georg Krammer; Credit: JKU

Georg Krammer conducts research at the JKU Institute of Business and Vocational Education and has served as co-editor for the Journal of Educational Research since 2019. At the beginning of 2025, the Journal of Educational Research introduced a new type of article: Replications.

What exactly is this all about?
Dr. Georg Krammer: (Educational) researchers have, of course, always been able to submit empirical studies that deliver new findings. As of now, (educational) researchers are also being explicitly encouraged to submit papers that put older studies to test.

What are the reasons behind this?
Dr. Georg Krammer: Replications tend to be science's stepchildren. Researchers agree that scientific findings need to be sound and reliable as this is indispensable when it comes to applying research findings. At the same time, however, over the past decades, editors, reviewers and external funding agencies have not valued replications. Instead, they seem to value it more when new findings are discovered and published. This means that within the academic ecosystem, researchers lack the incentives to make sure that their findings can be replicated. Yet how can we promote scientific self-editing when there are no incentives – beyond idealism - to do so?

Just what do you hope to accomplish by introducing a ‘Replications’ section in your journal?
Dr. Georg Krammer: The new ‘Replications’ section is a clear statement that academic journals are not only interested in science creating new knowledge, but creating knowledge that is solid, resilient, sustainable, and can stand the test of time.

The only way science can successfully self-edit (within published scientific literature) is by questioning current publications. If we do not replicate, we cannot distinguish between scientific one-offs, such as coincidental findings, and genuine advances in understanding. The Journal of Educational Research aims to send a signal acknowledging that replications are an essential part of empirical research and worthy of being valued, particularly when it comes to publications.

The Journal of Educational Research considers the new section to be an open invitation to all (educational) researchers to work jointly towards creating a scientific system based on more sound findings.