Leibniz Open Science Day 2025: “Better Science for Better Policies”

Call for Papers

When? 27 October 2025
Where? Berlin
Keynote: Johanna Rickne (Stockholm University)

ZBW ─ Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, DIW Berlin (the German Institute for Economic Research), WZB (Berlin Social Science Center), and RWI ─ Leibniz Institute for Economic Research are pleased to invite submissions to the Leibniz Open Science Day 2025: Better Science for Better Policies. With the growing importance of the social sciences in addressing societal challenges, the significance of a meta-scientific perspective is also increasingly on the rise. We need a deeper understanding of how evidence is generated and communicated to society and policymakers.

Replications and meta-studies in particular are becoming increasingly crucial to ensure the reliability and validity of scientific research findings. These approaches help identify heterogeneities and biases, improve methodological standards, and foster transparency, ultimately enhancing the credibility of scientific knowledge.

Paper submission:

Deadline: 1 August 2025

We particularly invite submissions on the reliability, credibility, and generalizability of empirical work at the science-policy interface, but contributions on all meta-scientific topics in the social sciences are welcome, among others:

Replications and robustness reproductions testing the internal or external validity of published work
Quantitative meta-analyses
Crowd-science studies (e.g., many-designs, many-analysts, many-labs, meta-reproductions)
Heterogeneity studies (e.g., Population, Design, Analysis)
Methodological meta-scientific studies
Role of normative views in empirical work
Expert-driven research on scientific practices and policy, including Delphi studies, expert elicitation, consensus-building processes, and crowdsourced evaluations of research norms, standards, or policy priorities

The workshop will take place on 27 October 2025, in Berlin (Leibniz-Association Gemeinschaft).

We invite researchers to submit their extended abstracts (max. 750 words) via e-mail to Heike Henningsen (h.henningsen@zbw.eu) by 1 August.

Notifications will be sent by 1 September.

Registration will also be possible from 1 September on.

Limited travel assistance is available for junior researchers (doctoral students, non-tenured postdocs, and assistant professors). Please indicate in your submission whether you will require funding.