Trusted-Execution Environment (TEE) for Solving the Replication Crisis in Academia

Abstract: The growing replication crisis across disciplines such as economics, finance, and other social sciences as well as computer science undermines the credibility of academic research. Current institutional solutions -- such as artifact evaluations and replication packages -- suffer from critical limitations, including shortages of qualified data editors, difficulties in handling proprietary datasets, inefficient processes, and reliance on voluntary labor. This paper proposes a novel framework leveraging new technological advances in trusted-execution environments (TEEs) -- exemplified by Intel Trust Domain Extensions (TDX) -- to address the replication crisis in a cost-effective and scalable manner. Under our approach, authors execute replication packages within a cloud-based TEE and submit cryptographic proofs of correct execution, for which journals or conferences can efficiently verify without re-running the code. This reallocates the operational burden to authors while preserving data confidentiality and eliminating reliance on scarce editorial resources. As a proof of concept, we validate the feasibility of this system through field experiments, reporting a pilot study replicating published papers on TDX-backed cloud VMs, finding average costs of \$1.35--\$1.80 per package with minimal computational overhead relative to standard VMs and high success rates even for novice users with no prior TEE experience. We also provide a conduct formal analysis showing that TEE adoption is incentive-compatible for authors, cost-dominant for journals, and constitutes an equilibrium in the certification market. The findings highlight the potential of TEE technology to provide a sustainable, privacy-preserving, and efficient mechanism to address the replication crisis in academia.