Reproducibility Confidentiality Data Access

Abstract

The recent concern about the reproducibility of research results has not yet been robustly incorporated into methods of providing and accessing administrative data, casting doubts on the validity of research based on such data. Reproducibility depends on disaggregating and exposing the multiple components of the research - data, software, workflows, and provenance - to other researchers and providing adequate metadata to make these components usable. The key worry is access: the authors of a study that uses administrative data often cannot themselves deposit the data with the journal, thereby impairing easy access to those data and consequently impeding reproducibility. This suggests a critical role for administrative data centers. We argue, that data held by ADRF do have attributes that lend themselves to reproducibility exercises, though this may, at present, not always be communicated correctly. We describe how ADRF can and should promote reproducibility through a number of components.