What is Preregistration?

WHAT IS PREREGISTRATION?

In a preregistration, researchers specify, in as much detail as they can, their plans for a study (e.g., number and nature of subjects, stimulus materials, procedures, measures, rules for excluding data, plans for data analysis, predictions/hypotheses, etc.) in advance of data collection, and they post those plans in a time-stamped, locked file in an online repository that can be accessed by editors, reviewers, and ultimately by readers.

WHY PREREGISTER?

Preregistration is a transparency measure, and it does not restrict researchers in any way in their work. They are a plan, not a prison (DeHaven, 2017). It simply lays out conceptualizations, hypotheses, and procedural plans that existed at a specific time during a research project. They are most useful before any data were collected, but preregistration can be written as data collection has already begun, or even afterwards (e.g., in case of secondary data use). Preregistrations do not require every detail be specified in advance; researchers can leave some methodological/analytical details to be decided as the project goes along. Also, researchers can deviate from the preregistration plan when appropriate. For example, if the data turned out to have a non-normal distribution then the researcher might transform the scores before analyzing them. Or if the data revealed an unexpected pattern the researcher might decide to conduct an unplanned statistical test. In such cases the researcher would explain in the manuscript why the unplanned transformation or test was deemed appropriate.

Preregistering seeks to solve the following problem: Prediction and postdiction are often not sufficiently separated in psychological research, whereby "postdiction is characterized by the use of data to generate hypotheses about why something occurred, and prediction is characterized by the acquisition of data to test ideas about what will occur. In prediction, data are used to confront the possibility that the prediction is wrong. In postdiction, the data are already known and the postdiction is generated to explain why they occurred" (Nosek, Ebersole, DeHaven and Mellor, 2017; p.1). 

Preregistering your study means knowing beforehand what you want to test and how you want to test it. Sharing this in as much detail as possible will make sure that your results, if they turn out to support your hypotheses, are in fact confirmatory.

The preregistration for an exploratory study might be brief, but it would nonetheless have value as an explicit record of which if any aspects of the study were specified a priori. That information is especially helpful in research that emphasizes null hypothesis significance testing. A thorough preregistration promotes transparency and openness and protects researchers from suspicions of p-hacking.

SELFISH REASONS TO PREREGISTER

1. Preregistration allows you to take credit for your predictions.

2. Preregistration is exciting.

3. Preregistration prevents you from being taken hostage by your own data.

4. Preregistration is easy.

5. Preregistration builds your reputation.

6. Preregistration allows you to have manuscripts accepted “in principle“ regardless of how the results pan out.

7. Preregistration can shield you from posthoc critique.

8. Pregistration serves as a perfect memory aid to you and your team of what you set out to do.

References

DeHaven, 2017: https://cos.io/blog/preregistration-plan-not-prison/

Seven Selfish Reasons for Preregistration: https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/research-preregistration-101#.WD_Dz5K5Ll5