What term is used when another person follows the exact steps of an investigation to see if results are similar?

• A. Validation
• B. Reproduction
• C. Replication
• D. Verification

Answer: (C)

In science, confirming findings by following the same procedures to see if results appear again is called replication. By repeating the study with new data or samples, researchers test whether the original results were reliable and not just a one-time happenstance. This practice strengthens evidence and shows that findings can generalize beyond a single experiment.

Other terms have different roles: validation checks that a method or measurement actually measures what it’s supposed to, and verification confirms accuracy against a known standard. Reproduction is sometimes used to describe producing the same results, but replication is the standard word for performing the exact steps again to test consistency.