Preregistration 101

Of all Open Science practices, researchers often find preregistration most strange, and perhaps most puzzling and challenging. Of the three Open Science badges, the Prereg badge is the rarest, at least so far.

“Does it really make much difference?” “But in my research field it’s not really practical!” “It’s just not feasible to predict in advance exactly what’s best while conducting the study, let alone when analysing the data!” “Just another bureaucratic requirement–get real!”

You might have heard all that, and more. Yet preregistration remains at the heart of Open Science.

The case for prereg was persuasively made in a recent article in the APS Observer–first para is below. The authors–all distinguished journal editors–reply to all the doubts expressed above, and many more. They also explain how easy it can be to preregister. There might even be money on the table if you move fast.