Final summary
At the start of this tutorial you likely felt unsure what preregistration is or why it is important. Hopefully you now feel empowered to adopt the principles of preregistration!
In this tutorial we covered:
Questionable research practices and researcher biases (e.g. HARKing, hindsight bias)
the essential and recommended elements that make up a preregistration
where to find preregistration templates
common challenges and opportunities of preregistration from individual researchers to the wider research ecosystem
suggestions to address common misconceptions and frequently asked questions
how we can practice improving our preregistrations through the snippets exercise and evaluating existing preregistrations.
Reflect and check in
This tutorial set out to the following objectives, where you should now be able to:
Reflect and check where you feel like you met these objectives.
Challenge yourself
Through out this tutorial you have completed a range of exercises designed to improve your knowledge and confidence for the preregistration process. In doing so you may have identified a particular part of the preregistration process you wish to improve.
As a final exercise you are invited to self-reflect and commit to taking one action related to the preregistration process (e.g. writing out clearer hypotheses, researching a study registration template for your subject area). Once you have chosen an action, tell a peer for accountability!
This exercise is designed to be an empowering and manageable action to commit to, which links to the spirit of “Open Science buffet” and the journey outlined throughout this tutorial. It also promotes self-reflection, critical thinking and a sense of agency in the choices that are made in how research is carried out.