Clinical Psychological Science goes Open

Adopting Open Science poses challenges, which vary across fields of research. For example, it may be especially difficult to carry out replications in clinical psychology if participants with the needed clinical diagnosis are hard to find. But Scott Lilienfeld, the new editor of the journal Clinical Psychological Science, is throwing down the challenge to his aspiring authors.

His first editorial is a fascinating read; it gives an overview of how research in clinical psychological science should best develop, in the view of a distinguished researcher who is now chief gate-keeper to one of the top journals in the field.

He writes that “Following the lead of the APS journal Psychological Science, CPS is now formally embracing the core tenets of the movement toward open science.” Articles will now be able to qualify for any of the three Open Science badges:

• Open Materials
• Open Data
• Preregistration

In addition: “CPS is also more than open to replications, both successful and unsuccessful, of articles previously published in our journal, provided that they are methodologically rigorous.”

It’s great to see such an important journal encouraging Open Science, and promising to publish high quality replications–whatever they find.