Trusted-Execution Environment (TEE) for Solving the Replication Crisis in Academia
Jiasun Li, Project Team
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.