Practitioners: Help us bring 'Registered Reports' to Forensic Science!

Your work depends on strong scientific foundations

There is wide agreement that forensic science practices must be founded by strong science (link). For example, scientific studies help us develop new techniques and better understand the boundary conditions of current ones.

In short, trustworthy and efficient forensic science research can help forensic practitioners do their job better and be more confident in their results.

What are registered reports and why are they becoming so widespread science?

Many fields are finding that the traditional scientific model of conducting a study and then submitting it for peer review does not work that well. This is because, by the time the study is completed, it is too late for the reviewers to help improve the design.

Enter registered reports: They are a journal article format in which scientists submit their study’s methods before data collection (link). And it’s those methods that reviewers consider and comment on. This can help ensure peer review when it is needed, and that studies are evaluated based on the strength of their methods and not just the results.

258 journals now accept registered reports (link). However, not one forensic science journal currently accepts them.

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).

Forensic practices rely on strong scientific foundations