# **Putting the Theory Before the Results Again** The low replicability of findings in the empirical record of the social sciences is attributed to a methodological crisis that could be resolved by improving the quality, transparency and openness of modal research practices, and by eradicating perverse incentives thwarting scientific integrity. These reforms will indeed be necessary to cleanse the empirical record of false positives and inflated effect magnitudes, however, I claim more profound reforms are necessary to enable the scientific method to function as intended for the social sciences. ### **(re-) Introducing Formal Theoretical Methods to Reinvigorate the Theoretical Cycle in Psychological Science** I argue that the actual crisis faced by these disciplines is a theoretical crisis that will continue to linger unless at least the following reforms are implemented: 1. Generate formal theories instead of verbal theories: Formal descriptions of the constructs and laws that constitute a theory are rare, there’s no formal system or calculus for deriving predictions and no way to study formal connections across theories and scientific disciplines. * *Reforms*: Define a formalism, a set of postulates and statements that clearly define a domain in reality in which theories compete to explain phenomena; Meehl’s Corroboration Formula. 2. Evaluate theories in the theoretical cycle before testing them in the empirical cycle: Axiomatic deductive science and branches of physics apply the research methods of the theoretical cycle to generate theories, deduce predictions, evaluate their logical structure and assess the plausibility of their physical realization before their empirical accuracy is evaluated. * *Reforms*: Conceptualization: Formal definitions, Thought experiments, Reasoning by analogy; Construct a nomological network. Logical analyis/calculus 3. Decide on the veracity of competing theories: The empirical record is apparently filled with facts that corroborate theories, but have no authority to decide between the veracity of theories competing to explain the same phenomena. As a consequence, a plethora of competing theories must be considered ‘true’ (not falsified) at the same point in time. * *Reforms*: Strong inference, crucial experiments, identify anomalies and explanatory boundaries.