Pack: Presentation - The Reality of Reproducibility of Computational Science

Title: The Reality of Reproducibility of Computational Science

Speaker: Carole Goble

Event: IEEE e-Science 2012

Event URL: http://www.ci.uchicago.edu/escience2012/

Location: Chicago, US

Date: Thursday, October 11, 2012

Formats: .ppt

Abstract:

Reproducibility in principle underpins the scientific method. For an experimental finding to be reproducible its materials must be available and its methods clear, accurate and transparent. In this talk I will explore the reality of reproducibility in computational science, focusing on methods that use workflows. I will discuss what we mean by reproducibility; differentiate between the preservation and conservation of workflows; sketch the role provenance has to play; and point to a growing number of initiatives that aim to make in silico science reproducible, including our own first steps towards a reproducibility framework based on Research Objects. Although technical infrastructure helps towards the utopian ideal of truly reproducible science it is social factors that define the reality.