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Preregistration can improve research by providing transparency for around data collection methods, analysis plans, and rules for data exclusion. This can help reduce biases that occur once the data are in front of you.
When research is preregistered, the researchers are describing their plans in advance of their study and submitting it to a registry. For this activity you will find and review a preregistration for a study in your discipline.
To find a preregistration: Go to the OSF Registries and browse the registrations. Search for something in your discipline or that interests you and read the preregistration. You may also wish to explore the OSF Preregistration Outreach Packet, which includes examples.
To Review: Select a preregistration and read it. While reading it, think about the following questions:
- Does the preregistration have complete metadata, such as title, authors, license, etc?
- Does the preregistration clearly describe the study’s hypotheses, variables, and analyses? Is there an outline of the study design. Can you tell what are independent and and dependant variables?
- Does the preregistration include information about how any data will be collected?
Complete this Activity
After reading the preregistration, please link to the preregistration and share your thoughts about it in the comment section below. Do you feel like you have enough information to evaluate the research question and study design? Why or why not.
Image Credit: Preregistration badge from the Badges to Acknowledge Open Practices project by Blohowiak, Benjamin B et al, CC-By Attribution 4.0 International