Publish your Registered Reports on Gates Open Research
Improve reproducibility through rapid, open publication of your Study Protocol and Research Article
Looking to improve the reproducibility and transparency of your research? Registered Reports on Gates Open Research have you covered.
We believe that the value of science is in the rigor of the method, not the appeal of the results - an ethos at the heart of our publishing model. Choosing to publish your research as a Registered Report puts this into practice, by shifting the focus away from the results and back to the research question.
Registered Reports on Gates Open Research follow a two-stage process: firstly, the Study Protocol (Stage 1) is published and peer-reviewed by subject experts before data collection begins. Then, once the research has been completed, the Research Article (Stage 2) is published, peer reviewed, and awarded a Registered Report badge.
Gates Open Research is one of the first publishers to combine the Registered Reports format with an open, post-publication peer review model. Alongside our open data policy, this format enhances credibility, and takes transparency and reproducibility in research to the next level.
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Are you a research funder? Get in touch with our publishing team now to find out how Registered Reports can assist your grant peer review process, and discuss partnering with Gates Open Research on a Registered Reports trial for researchers in your community.
What is a Registered Report?
Registered Reports are a form of article in which the methods and proposed analyses are published and peer-reviewed prior to research being conducted.
The publication and review process for Registered Reports is divided into two stages. In Stage 1, reviewers assess published Study Protocols before data is collected. Authors then have the opportunity to refine their proposed methodology based on feedback from reviewers, before collecting any data. In Stage 2, reviewers consider the full published study as a Research Article, including results and interpretation.
Want more information on the publication and peer review process for Registered Reports? View the detailed infographic here.
Why publish your Registered Report on Gates Open Research?
Publish your Study Protocol
The Gates Open Research approach to Registered Reports is that the Study Protocol is not just peer-reviewed, but also published as a separate citable item, in addition to the consequent Research Article. Alongside the benefit in having an additional publication and earlier credit for your research, this also supports the transparency at the heart of the Registered Reports format.
Open post-publication peer review
Gates Open Research is one of the first publisher to integrate the Registered Report format with an open post-publication peer review model; this not only supports transparency, but means everyone can benefit from the feedback from reviewers at both stages. Authors can openly address any issues raised by reviewers, and readers can also learn from the whole conversation.
Rapid publication
Gates Open Research offers rapid publication, meaning your research can make an impact sooner. Articles are fully citable and ready for peer review.
Expert feedback on your proposed methods
The Registered Reports format allows for expert reviewers to provide constructive feedback on proposed research methods. This gives researchers the opportunity to address methodological issues before data collection, improving the experimental design. If your research is on hold at the moment, Registered Reports offer a great way of getting feedback on experiments you have planned for when you're back in the lab.
About Gates Open Research
Gates Open Research is a fully open access publishing platform, offering rapid publication of articles and other research outputs without editorial bias. All articles benefit from transparent post-publication peer review, and editorial guidance on making source data openly available.
Gates Open Research advocates for transparency and reproducibility in research, and our unique publishing model supports this at every stage. Articles can be published in as few as 14 days, with post-publication peer review creating an open dialogue between authors and their research community. This generates feedback which can be used to improve the article and develop the author's skills.
For Registered Reports, this open feedback loop is particularly important. The two-stage process allows researchers to address any methodological issues before they begin any data collection, not only saving time and resources down the line, but also improving the experimental design itself.
Registered Reports | Glossary
Academic publishing uses a lot of jargon, and Registered Reports are no different. That’s why we’ve broken it down for you in this simple glossary. Can't find the definition you're looking for here? Browse the full glossary on our website.
Registered Report
Registered Reports are a form of empirical article in which the methods and proposed analyses are published and reviewed prior to research being conducted. Registered Reports are divided into two separate stages:
Stage One / Study Protocol
The first stage of a Registered Report is a Study Protocol, which is published and peer-reviewed before data collection. This is an article which outlines the proposed methodology and analysis for the research, including a description of the key research question and background literature, hypotheses, experimental procedures, analysis pipeline, a statistical power analysis (or Bayesian equivalent), and pilot data (where applicable).
Stage Two / Research Article
The second stage of a Registered Report is a Research Article. This is an article which is published and peer reviewed after data collection, including results and interpretation.
Open peer review
The phrase “open peer review” is used to describe our formal, invited article review process and means that all reviewer names and peer review reports are publicly accessible.
p-hacking
Also known as data dredging, p-hacking is the (conscious or subconscious) manipulation of data to produce a desired p-value.
Peer review report
Peer review reports are written by invited reviewers, and are open for all to read. They consist of an approval status (Approved, Approved with Reservations, or Not Approved) and comments that explain the status and present any suggestions for improvements. All peer review reports are assigned a DOI. Authors and other registered users can publicly comment on peer review reports.
Publication bias
Research with positive or significant results is more likely to be published than research with null, negative, or insignificant results. This publication bias is problematic because the under-reporting of negative results distorts the literature in a field of study.
Published
At Gates Open Research, an article is published online before peer review starts (and it cannot then be removed or withdrawn at a later stage, regardless of the outcome of the peer review). Published articles have passed our internal editorial check and are formatted and then put live - published - before peer review begins. As peer review progresses and peer review reports are received, they will appear alongside the published paper. Once an article receives sufficient positive peer review reports, it will be considered to have passed peer review.
Reproducibility
Reproducibility in science means that another researcher could take a research article, use the same input data, and follow the exact methodology and analysis, to obtain the same results. Reproducibility is often cited as a hallmark of robust and credible science, however many published studies are not reproducible (which has led to the so-called 'Reproducibility Crisis'). Registered Reports support reproducibility best practice through the two-stage format, which places the emphasis on the research methods rather than the results.