Title: Guidelines for reporting productivity studies - a review of the reproducibility of data envelopment analysis in the service sector

Authors: Jörg Becker; Daniel Beverungen; Dominic Breuker; Hanns-Alexander Dietrich; Hans Peter Rauer

Addresses: Department of Information Systems and Information Management, University of Muenster – ERCIS, 48149 Muenster, Germany ' Department of Information Systems and Information Management, University of Muenster – ERCIS, 48149 Muenster, Germany ' Department of Information Systems and Information Management, University of Muenster – ERCIS, 48149 Muenster, Germany ' Department of Information Systems and Information Management, University of Muenster – ERCIS, 48149 Muenster, Germany ' Department of Information Systems and Information Management, University of Muenster – ERCIS, 48149 Muenster, Germany

Abstract: With respect to the scientific method, reproducing empirical research is a necessary step to develop generalisable knowledge. However, in service productivity measurement and managerial science in general, little attention seems to be paid to replicating empirical studies. One reason could be that many studies do not report their data and methodology in the degree of detail sufficient to reproduce them. In this paper, we provide evidence for a lack of reproducibility of empirical studies on service productivity measurement with data envelopment analysis (DEA), based on reviewing service productivity measurement literature. The major impediments identified comprise a superficial description of the measurement process and data sources, insufficient details on the retrieval methodology, and an incomplete account of the extraction methodology. To improve the reproducibility of future studies, this article offers a structured set of guidelines with which authors can report their studies more comprehensively.

Keywords: data envelopment analysis; DEA; services science; reproducibility; ethical guidelines; operations research; scientometrics; operational research philosophy; good practice; ethics; service sector; service productivity measurement.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2013.056796

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2013 Vol.16 No.3, pp.407 - 425

Published online: 02 Jul 2014 *

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