Researchers: Help us bring Registered Reports to Forensic Science

What are registered reports?

Registered reports are a journal article format in which you submit your study’s methods before you collect data, and it’s those methods that reviewers consider and comment on. If your registered report is accepted, then publication is virtually guaranteed as long as you follow the approved methods. In other words, publishing a registered report is not dependent on your study’s results.

258 journals now accept registered reports (link).

What are the advantages of registered reports?

Registered reports allow reviewers and editors to provide feedback before data is collected - when it is still possible to improve the study’s design. Editors and authors have provided positive feedback about this process (link). Registered reports also have been shown to be effective at countering publication bias (the difficulty of publishing results that do not confirm the researcher’s hypothesis) (link).

How can registered reports help forensic science?

Registered reports allow reviewers to help improve forensic science studies before they are conducted, thus saving resources. They also help ensure that null results are published so that they can inform others’ efforts.

What can I do?

You can sign our letter (link) to forensic science journal editors and boards by providing Jason Chin (jason.chin@sydney.edu.au) with your name and affiliation.

If you want to learn more about registered reports in forensic science, see our recent article in Forensic Science International: Synergy (link).