Pre-registration in social psychology—A discussion and suggested template

Abstract

Pre-registration of studies before they are conducted has recently become more feasible to researchers, and is encouraged by an increasing number of journals. However, because the practice of pre-registration is relatively new to psychological science, specific guidelines for the content of registrations are still in a formative stage. After giving a brief history of pre-registration in medical and psychological research, we outline two different models that can be applied—reviewed and unreviewed pre-registration—and discuss the advantages of each model to science as a whole and to the individual scientist, as well as some of their drawbacks and limitations. Finally, we present and justify a proposed standard template that can facilitate pre-registration. Researchers can use the template before and during the editorial process to meet article requirements and enhance the robustness of their scholarly efforts.