Sure thing, the best case is where the original code & data is available, and a cross check replication does an independent reimplementation. There's a little b

Sure thing, the best case is where the original code & data is available, and a cross check replication does an independent reimplementation. There's a little bit of risk that peeking at the original code might lead one down a wrong path, but overall I think it's still better that the original code is provided. For example, if someone isn't looking to replicate and might be instead trying to extending the original work, using the original code could save a lot of time (and could help find original mistakes too).