Registered reports at the Leibniz Institute for Psychology Information: Why, for whom, and how?

Registered Reports is a publication format implemented by some journals to emphasize the importance of the research question and the quality of the methodology prior to data collection. The format requires authors of empirical studies to preregister their study protocol including hypotheses, details concerning sample size and sampling methods, and the analysis plan. The submission of an empirical study outline is followed by a standard peer review process determining the quality of the intended research. If the preregistered protocol is accepted, publication of the final manuscript is granted to the authors irrespective of the outcomes. This approach seeks to prevent questionable research practices such as low statistical power, changing hypotheses retrospectively to fit obtained data (“HARKing”), selective reporting of results, manipulation of methods and criteria of analysis (“p-hacking”), and publication bias. While an increasing number of journals endorse the Registered Reports publishing format, some crucial issues impeding the large-scale dissemination of preregistration remain unresolved. Among these impediments are: Ambiguous reward systems for the stakeholders involved (publishers, editors, authors), a lack of integration of Registered Reports into research cycle workflows, and missing decision aids in case of deviations from the preregistered methodology. In this talk, a couple of solutions will be presented, illustrated and discussed involving Registered Reports as an integral part of a service portfolio provided by a research support organization. This model currently being developed and partly implemented at the Leibniz Institute for Psychology Information in Trier (Germany) offers services and incentives for preregistration (e.g., free data collection for preregistered protocols, notarization services, services for editors and publishers), integration into a disciplinary repository (PsychArchives), and a technology for identifying deviations from a preregistered protocol. The solutions presented for the field of Psychology are presumed to be transferable to a broad range of scientific areas.