Publications of Replications

Together with FORRT, MüCOS has developed an interdisciplinary Diamond Open Access journal for replications and reproductions, as well as an interdisciplinary exchange on the necessary methods. The project is funded by the University of Münster through a Topical Program. Submissions are possible via the website.

Replication Research is funded by the University of Münster as a Topical Program and by the state initiative openaccess.nrw. Moreover, R2 is a partner of the Journal of Comments and Replications in Economics (JCRe), the Tromso Repository of Language and Linguistics (TROLLing), Meta-REP and MetaROR. R2 is also PCI-friendly.

Replication Journal Federation

Together with editors from a total of six scientific journals with a strong focus on replication research, we founded the Replication Journal Federation in April 2026. The network's aim is mutual support and coordination among the open access journals, joint workshop offerings, and a nomination portal for reproduction and replication studies.

Website of the RJF: https://forrt.org/rjf/

Making Replications Count

The MüCOS is involved in the UKRI-funded project "Making Replications Count." The project investigates barriers to the dissemination of replication research using bibliometric, quantitative, and qualitative methods, and develops a portfolio of tools designed to increase the visibility of replication studies.

Project website: https://forrt.org/marco/

Publications:

Zotero Replication Checker: This open-source Zotero plugin checks individual entries, folders, or users' entire Zotero libraries for replication studies, adds them, and links original studies with their replications. Notes also provide information about replication outcomes. The tool is available for free download: https://forrt.org/flora-zotero/
FLoRA Replication Atlas: The website allows users to search the FORRT Library of Reproduction and Replication Attempts using DOIs or keyword searches. Visit the site here: https://forrt.org/flora-replication-atlas/
FLoRA-Notify: In spring 2026, we sent automated emails to authors of preprints that cite a study but not its associated replication. A description of the approach and accompanying meta-research has been described in the FLoRA-Notify protocol: https://osf.io/preprints/metaarxiv/ qnckf_v1

Events:

MaRCo Fall Hackathon 2025: FLoRA-Notify, the Zotero Replication Checker, an API for FLoRA, and an automated literature search pipeline for identifying replication studies were developed with 15 experts in Münster in October 2025.
MaRCo Spring Hackathon 2026: In early May 2026, we worked with a group of 18 experts from four continents to develop prototypes for an Open Science Chromium plugin, over 2,000 PubPeer comments, the FORRT Lighthouse, and a coding pipeline for replication studies.
MaRCo Fall Hackathon 2026: Details regarding the date, application process, and projects to be worked on will follow shortly.

Open Science Databases

The MüCOS jointly manages the FORRT Replication Hub and its embedded "FORRT Library of Reproduction and Replication Attempts" (FLoRA) — the world's largest database for reproductions and replications — together with the Framework for Open and Reproducible Research Training (FORRT). With over 26,000 views, the resulting dataset publication is the most-viewed article in the Journal of Open Psychology Data.

Further information:

FORRT Replication Hub: https://forrt.org/replication-hub/
FLoRA Info: https://forrt.org/replication-hub/flora/
FReD Explorer: https://forrt.org/explorer/
Publication of the FLoRA predecessor "Replication Database (ReD)": https://doi.org/10.5334/jopd.101

Research Assessment and Publication Culture

MüCOS coordinated the signing of the SF DORA and Barcelona Declarations together with numerous stakeholders at the University of Münster. We advocate for the availability of research results and, in accordance with ethical and legal guidelines, for the systematic sharing of research materials and data for the sake of transparency and reproducibility. Through open discussion formats such as the panel discussion "Who do I review for?", we aim to encourage researchers to engage with commercial publishers in the academic system in an informed manner.

Workshops and Symposia

We regularly hold workshops and community meetings on the topics of Open Science, meta-science, and replication research. These include the Münster Replication Games, the Replication Research Symposium, and the Love Replications Week.

Recordings from the Love Replications Week: https://forrt.org/love-replications-week/

Book of Abstracts of the Replication Research Symposium: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15487804