Registration & Preregistration

Summary

The video discusses the importance of research registrations and pre-registrations in ensuring transparency and credibility in scientific studies. It explains how pre-registrations allow researchers to timestamp their study plans before conducting experiments, preventing post-hoc adjustments. The video contrasts registrations, which can be done after data collection, with pre-registrations, and emphasizes the benefits of pre-registering for research integrity. It also addresses concerns about 'scooping' and offers solutions like embargoing registrations to protect researchers' work while maintaining transparency.

Takeaways

• 🔬 Research typically follows a trajectory of design, conduct, report, and publish, with peer review occurring between report and publish.
• 🎯 The traditional research process can lead to publication bias, favoring only successful studies and potentially encouraging researchers to change their plans to match their results.
• 🗓 Registrations and pre-registrations are introduced to combat these issues by providing a timestamped version of the research plan, ensuring transparency and preventing 'fishing expeditions'.
• 📝 Pre-registration is particularly beneficial as it locks in the research plan before the experiment is conducted, allowing for a clear demonstration of the original intent.
• 🕒 The difference between registrations and pre-registrations lies in the timing of submission relative to the experiment's conduct, with pre-registrations being submitted prior to the experiment.
• 🔄 Pre-registrations can be updated, but each version is timestamped, providing a clear record of changes made over time.
• 📜 Registrations can be submitted after the experiment is conducted, during the reporting phase, up until the moment of publication, which may reduce transparency.
• 🤔 Concerns about 'scooping' arise when researchers fear that sharing their ideas publicly could lead to others publishing similar work before them.
• 🚫 To mitigate scooping, the OSF offers the option to embargo registrations for up to 4 years, allowing researchers time to conduct and publish their work before making the registration public.
• 🔗 Registrations on the OSF are associated with a DOI, ensuring a persistent link that won't break or change, which is important for sharing work with publications.
• 📑 Creating a registration on the OSF involves filling out a form with metadata, study details, and permissions, and can be done from an existing project or starting from scratch with a template.

Q & A

What is the main issue with the traditional trajectory of research from design to publication?

The traditional trajectory of research can lead to publication bias, where only successful studies are published. This doesn't account for the work that happens beforehand and can incentivize researchers to change their plans to match their results, which is not transparent or ideal in the research process.

What is a registration in the context of research?

A registration is a timestamped version of a research plan. It is created at a specific moment in time to lock in the research plan, hypothesis, and methodology, ensuring transparency and preventing post-hoc adjustments to match results.

What is the purpose of pre-registration in research?

Pre-registration serves to combat issues like publication bias and lack of transparency by having researchers lock in their plans before conducting the experiment. It allows them to demonstrate that their results were not manipulated to fit a preconceived outcome.

What is the difference between a registration and a pre-registration?

The difference lies in the timing of submission. A pre-registration is submitted before the experiment is conducted, while a registration can be submitted at any time, even after the experiment is conducted, although this is less transparent.

Why is pre-registration encouraged over registration?

Pre-registration is encouraged because it is a more transparent method that prevents 'fishing expeditions' and ensures that the research plan is set in stone before the experiment is conducted, thus maintaining the integrity of the research process.

What is 'scooping' in research and how does pre-registration address it?

Scooping is when someone else conducts and publishes a similar study before the original researcher, often due to sharing the idea prematurely. Pre-registration can address this by providing a public timestamp of the original researcher's intent, preventing others from taking credit for the idea.

What is an embargo in the context of research registrations?

An embargo is a temporary privacy setting for a registration, allowing it to be kept private for up to 4 years after submission. This gives researchers time to conduct and publish their research before making their registration public.

How does the OSF handle embargoed registrations?

Embargoed registrations on the OSF are not publicly accessible. They appear as 'page not found' to anyone who tries to access them without a view-only link. A view-only link can be shared with trusted individuals for private viewing.

What is a DOI and why is it important for research registrations?

A DOI, or Digital Object Identifier, is a persistent link that will never break or change. It is important for research registrations because it allows for reliable sharing and referencing of the work in publications and other academic contexts.

How can researchers create a registration on the OSF?

Researchers can create a registration on the OSF by starting a draft and choosing whether to create a registration from an existing OSF project or starting from scratch with a chosen template. They fill out the necessary metadata and information, and once ready, they can submit it with an option to embargo if desired.

What is the significance of having different permission levels for contributors on a registration?

Different permission levels ensure that only those with the necessary authority, such as administrators, can approve a registration before it becomes public. This helps maintain the integrity and transparency of the research process.