Pre-registration on OSF.io

This template is meant as a quick-and-dirty way to get the  elements of a project clear before finalizing a registration (e.g., before ‘freezing’ a project on the OSF). It describes the information that is needed for a registration, and does not claim to be exhaustive. The aim is to standardize  pre-registrations, e.g., so researchers can find relevant information in a structured way.  Although using this template does not guarantee that a journal, peer-reviewers, or a  badge certifying organization will accept the pre-registration, it is set-up to ultimately satisfy this goal.

h/t Anna van 't Veer & Roger Giner-Sorolla for inspirational work on OA approaches to course design.

Some resources:

• Frequently updated step by step instructions on how to use the OSF for pre-registration (link)
• Pre-registration badge specifications (link)
• Bosco et al.'s chapter on the subject (link)

Steps

• Register on OSF and create a fork the VT thesis project.
• Add me and, eventually, your supervisory team as collaborators.
• Name your project. You now have a project on the OSF. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with it. To enrich your project, you can add a variety of information and materials to this page, and once you add collaborators they can do the same. To learn more about these options, click on ‘Guides’ at the bottom of the page
• To pre-register your project, go to your project’s page, click on ‘Registrations’ (one of the tabs at the top of the page). Next, click on ‘New registration’. A new window will appear, giving you several options for doing different kinds of pre-registrations. Choose the first (OSF) options. Fill in the fields to the best of your ability.
• Once you have filled out all the elements, on the last page, re-check all your answers by clicking on ‘Preview for submission’. If everything looks good to you, register by clicking on the ‘Register’ button at the bottom of the page. A new window appears. Under ‘Registration choice’ select one of the following options: ‘Make registration public immediately’ or ‘Enter registration into embargo’. If you’d prefer for your project to remain private a little longer, choose the latter option and fill out the end date for the embargo (up to four years). Click on ‘Continue’ to finalize your pre-registration. You will see a note saying that “Files are being copied to the newly created registration, and you will receive an email notification when the copying is finished.” Once finished, the time-stamped page will display a note on the top of the page saying ‘This project is a registration of this project; the content of the project has been frozen and cannot be edited."

Include a link to the time-stamped preregistration when submitting your paper::

• To create a link for others to see your pre-registration, from the overview page, go to the tab called ‘Contributors’.
• Next to ‘View-only Links’, click ‘add’. You will be given several options, including an option to ‘Anonymize’ your link (this is the option you want to choose for blind peer review), and an option to select which components (if you have multiple) you want to associate with the link. Give your link a name (e.g., ‘For reviewers’) and click on ‘Create’.
• The link will appear on the same page just below the heading ‘View-only Links’. The button next to the link allows you to copy this link to your clipboard. Go to the place in your paper or cover letter where you want to place to link, and paste the link there.