Comparing expert assessments of research quality between the Global North and East Africa

Abstract

This study investigates how expert assessments of the quality of behavioural science research vary across geographic and epistemic contexts. Using a form of structured peer review called the IDEA protocol, we use data from the repliCATS project (Global North cohort) and a follow-up study conducted by Busara (East Africa cohort) to compare how experts judge the quality, and especially the generalizability, of 80 behavioural science papers. Due to their greater familiarity with how other contexts might differ from Global North contexts, we expected that East African experts would express greater scepticism about the generalizability of these findings. Contrary to expectations, East African exp..