Make an analysis reproducible without exposing people

Make an analysis reproducible without exposing people

Reproducibility means another reader can follow the data, definitions and decisions to obtain the reported analysis. Openness does not require publishing identifying or restricted information. Consent, minimization and access rules constrain sharing.

Inspect the case

Teaching analyst saves a spreadsheet with names, health notes and access ratings, although the question concerns opening hours.

Teaching release plan proposes sharing all rows publicly to make the work transparent. A safe alternative includes a codebook, aggregate counts and transformation steps.

Both records are original fictional teaching materials. They are not historical primary sources and do not report real participants.

Work through the mechanism

Names and health notes are not needed for the stated question. Removing names alone may not prevent identification when combinations remain unique.

Your investigation

Write a minimal data plan and a reproducibility checklist. Explain which materials can be public and which require restricted access or exclusion.

Make a two-column evidence table: what the record directly supports, and what you infer. Use record IDs when connecting observations to claims. Preserve your first interpretation before revising it.

Practice and transfer

Does reproducibility require public release of every personal record?

Try the practice check in the activity, explain your choice, then apply the idea to this unfamiliar case: A tiny subgroup can be identified from aggregate totals. What should be reviewed?

Limits and responsible interpretation

Actual research may require institutional review and community consultation. This activity uses fictional data and does not authorize live collection.

A successful answer identifies a mechanism and its boundaries. A saved response records practice; it does not automatically establish independent understanding.

Further reading

OpenStax: approaches to research provides disciplinary context. The teaching records above were authored for this lesson and are not quotations from that source.

Choose your depth

High school: Use the supplied records to complete this task: Write a minimal data plan and a reproducibility checklist. Explain which materials can be public and which require restricted access or exclusion. Explain your reasoning in a short paragraph or an annotated diagram with a text equivalent.

AP connection: Use this as optional interdisciplinary evidence practice; there is no standalone AP Social research methods course. Compare two explanations using the supplied records and state a limitation.

Introductory college: Frame a researchable version of the case, document definitions and source selection, and compare the supplied mechanism with a rival explanation. Use the linked disciplinary reading to find one relevant scholarly or institutional source; distinguish that real source from these fictional records. Submit a revision log and methods note.