Reproducibility and RAPs
1 Reproducibility
Reproducibility = the ability to regenerate published results using the provided code and data.
It’s helpful to distinguish reproducibility from related concepts:
- Reusability refers to whether code can be adapted and applied to new contexts.
- Replicability means others can independently implement your methods (without your code) and get the same results.
2 Why does reproducibility matter?
2.2 Advantages for others
✅ Trust. If work is reproducibility, it builds trust, as others can independently confirm that your results are reliable and your methods are transparent.
✅ Reuse. If others can reproduce your work, this verifies that the code is working as expected when they run it. Knowing that the underlying code works as expected, they are then able to confidently reuse and adapt the code for new contexts and projects.
3 Reproducible analytical pipelines (RAP)
Reproducible analytical pipeline (RAP) = systematic approach to data analysis and modelling in which every step of the process (end-to-end) is transparent, automated, and repeatable.
Rather than relying on manual processes or undocumented decisions, a RAP ensures that the entire workflow - from data ingestion and cleaning, to modelling, and through to analysis (and sometimes also reporting) - is scripted, documented, and reproducible.
There should be no (or minimal) manual intervention required to generate the results. The requirements of a RAP are outlined in the NHS RAP Maturity Framework.
4 Reproducible work v.s. RAPs
You can do reproducible work without building a full RAP - but a RAP takes things further. Reproducible analysis may still involve manual steps, selective re-running of scripts, or undocumented decisions. This leaves room for human error and inefficiency, and makes it harder to check and re-run the work.
A RAP is distinct because it automates the entire workflow, minimising manual intervention and using software engineering best practices like version control, peer review, and modular code. This makes your analysis more efficient and robust, and easier to re-run and review.
5 Focus of this book
This book does both! As detailed on the guidelines page:
- It aims to make your work reproducible, drawing on recommendations from Heather et al. (2025) for reproducible discrete-event simulation (DES)
- It also guides you through building a full RAP, following the NHS “Levels of RAP” maturity framework.