Choosing a Platform for Preregistering Your Study

Preregistration is a great practice in research to enhance transparency, reduce bias, and improve reproducibility. It involves documenting your study plan (e.g., hypotheses, methods, analysis plan) before collecting data. You mentioned considering OSF (Open Science Framework), which is an excellent choice. Below, I'll help you select a platform, starting with OSF, and outline steps to get started.

1. Recommended Platform: OSF (Open Science Framework)

• Why OSF?

OSF is one of the most popular and user-friendly platforms for preregistration, especially in psychology, social sciences, and interdisciplinary research. It's free, open-source, supports version control (like GitHub for projects), and integrates well with other tools (e.g., exporting to journals). It also allows for timestamped, public (or private) archiving, which counts as official preregistration. Evidence: OSF is endorsed by organizations like the Center for Open Science (COS) and has been used in thousands of studies (e.g., over 10,000 preregistrations as of 2023, per OSF stats). It's compliant with standards like those from the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) guidelines.

• Pros:


• Easy to create a project and add a preregistration template.


• Supports file uploads (e.g., PDFs or editable docs).


• Public visibility option for credibility; can embargo for blind review.


• No cost, unlimited storage for most users.


• Cons:


• Less structured for clinical trials (use ClinicalTrials.gov for those).


• Interface can feel overwhelming if you're new to project management tools.


• Alternatives if OSF Doesn't Fit:


• AsPredicted: Simpler for straightforward experiments (e.g., surveys or lab studies). It's a free template-based tool co-created by researchers like Leif Nelson and Daniël Lakens. Great for quick preregistrations without bells and whistles—ideal if your study is hypothesis-driven and not overly complex. (Pros: Fast setup; Cons: Less flexible for large projects.)


• ClinicalTrials.gov or WHO ICTRP: Best for medical/clinical trials; mandatory in some cases (e.g., FDA requirements for drugs). Use if your study involves human health interventions.


• GitHub: For tech-savvy users or computational studies; it's version-controlled but requires more setup.


• JASP or PreRegCheck: Niche tools for stats-focused preregistrations.

If your study is in a specific field (e.g., neuroscience—consider OpenNeuro; ecology—Dryad), let me know for tailored advice. OSF is a safe default for most academic work.

2. Steps to Preregister on OSF

• Sign Up/Log In: Go to osf.io and create a free account using your email or ORCID ID (recommended for academic tracking).


• Create a New Project: Click "New Project" > Name it (e.g., "MyStudy Preregistration"). Set visibility: Private initially, then make public after submission if desired.


• Use a Preregistration Template:


• In your project, click "Files" > "New File" and upload or create a document. OSF has built-in templates—search for "Preregistration Template" in their wiki or use the standard one from COS: cos.io/prereg.


• Key sections to include (based on best practices from Nosek et al., 2018, in Science):


• Study Overview: Research question, hypotheses.


• Methods: Participants (sample size, exclusion criteria), materials, procedure.


• Analysis Plan: Statistical tests, power analysis (use tools like G*Power for justification).


• Deviations Protocol: How you'll handle unexpected changes.


• Sign and date it digitally.


• Make It Official: Click "Register" in your project to create a timestamped, immutable version. This generates a DOI (digital object identifier) for citation—share it in papers or grants.


• Share and Export: Add collaborators, make it public, or export as PDF. For verification, the DOI proves it was preregistered pre-data collection.

Tips for Success

• Timing: Do this before data collection to avoid bias claims. Aim for 1-2 weeks before starting.


• Common Pitfalls: Be specific (e.g., "I'll use a two-tailed t-test at α=0.05") but flexible for safety (e.g., note exploratory analyses).


• Resources:


• OSF Guide: help.osf.io/article/177-register-a-project.


• Example Prereg: Search OSF for "preregistration example" (e.g., osf.io/xyz).


• Further Reading: "Preregistration: Why and How" by van 't Veer & Giner-Sorolla (2016, Journal of Open Psychology Data).

If you share more details about your study (e.g., field, type), I can refine this or help draft a template. What's next—writing the prereg content or choosing an alternative platform?