On the Replication of Positivist Case Study Research

A major characteristic that is often said to distinguish the scientific method from other approaches to knowledge is its objectivity. Conducting replication studies allows for critically testing of objectivity and therefore significantly contributes to scientific progress. This article deals with the nature of replicating positivist case study research and outlines that the replication of case studies—if conducted well—may result in both (i) critical test of existing findings and (ii) groundbreaking discovery of new scopes of validity of existing theories. In this article, at the beginning philosophy of science considerations are used to substantiate the importance of replication research for scientific progress in the IS discipline. Afterward, well-known case study replication concepts by Yin (2003) and Lee (1989) as well as more general remarks from the behavioral, social, and administrative sciences are taken into consideration and then integrated in order to develop a set of positivist case study replication strategies.