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Originality, Replication and Contribution to Knowledge

Literally, "original" means "initial, first, never having existed or occurred before." But this is not the case for research and this is a serious misinterpretation of the word as it is used in science.

Another inspiring thoughts from Locke et al. (1999):
In research, the word "original" clearly includes all studies deliberately employed to test the accuracy of results or the applicability of conclusions developed in previous studies (page 58).
What is not included...are studies that proceed "mindlessly" to repeat an existing work either in ignorance of its existence or without appropriate attention to its defects or limitations (page 58).
One consequence...is that misguided students and advisors are led to ignore one of the most important areas of research activity and one of the most useful forms of training for the novice researcher -- replication (page 58).
...replication can involve challenging problems that demand creative resolution [to address problems perceived during the replicative study process]... (page 59)
An individual who thinks that truly equivalent conditions can be created simply by "doing it the same way" just has not tried to perform a replicative study (page 59).


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