This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 1 of this Preprint.
Pre-registration and Registered Reports in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: An Evidence-Based Appraisal by SORTEE
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Authors
Joel L Pick 
,
Elina Takola ,
Kevin R Bairos-Novak,
Edward Richard Ivimey-Cook ,
Daniel Morillo,
Shinichi Nakagawa ,
Julia Sharapi
Abstract
1. A pre-registration is a time-stamped, read-only research plan that is written prior to data collection and analysis. This practice aims to increase transparency and reduce questionable research practices (QRPs) such as p-hacking and HARKing. Registered Reports are an article format with two stage peer review, that integrates Pre-registration and peer review and aims to additionally reduce research waste and publication bias.
2. Cross-disciplinary evidence for the benefits of Pre-registration in terms of reducing QRPs is mixed; deviations from pre-registered plans often happen and are not disclosed, reducing their value in reducing QRPs.
3. There is much clearer evidence for Registered Reports reducing QRPs and publication bias, as well as increasing the quality of published articles.
4. There is no specific research on Pre-registration and Registered Reports in ecology and evolution, and uptake of the practices is currently very low.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.32942/X2C37Q
Subjects
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Keywords
Dates
Published: 2026-03-30 06:27
Last Updated: 2026-03-30 06:27
License
CC BY Attribution 4.0 International
Additional Metadata
Conflict of interest statement:
We believe there are no conflicts of interest. All authors are members of SORTEE. EIC was on the board of directors and was the 2025 President. SORTEE is sponsored by Peer Community In (PCI) and the Center of Open Science (COS); however, these organisations did not have a role in the creation of this appraisal. PCI runs a Registered Reports reviewing service (PCI-RR). However, this service is run for free by PCI, and so there is no financial gain, and we do not explicitly recommend (nor disapprove of) PCI-RR in this statement. COS hosts Pre-registrations on the Open Science Framework (OSF). Again, there is no financial gain for COS from Pre-registration submissions.
Data and Code Availability Statement:
Not Applicable
Language:
English
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