Review of Four Preregistration Registries for Special Education Researchers

Abstract

Preregistration involves researchers publicly registering key study elements before conducting a study to increase the transparency of research and limit the use and impact of questionable research practices. To support special education researchers’ engagement with preregistrations, in this article we provide an overview of preregistration and systematically review four preregistration registries (Open Science Framework, Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies, AsPredicted, and ClinicalTrials). Each of the registry templates reviewed effectively addresses most questionable research practices and can accommodate a variety of research designs, with the exception of mixed-methods research. Among the benefits of Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies, Open Science Framework, and ClinicalTrials are the provision of highly specific templates and allowing users to update the preregistration when changes to the original study occur. Researchers can use this review to help select and use a registry that is appropriate for their study design and purpose.

Advancing Anti-Racism and Anti-Ableism in Transition: Equity-Oriented Indicators for Research

“…Greater acknowledgment and transparency around how a sample is constructed, what comparator group is used in exploratory work, what schools and classrooms (and the students within them) are selected for research, and how systemic barriers are assessed, targeted for change, or integrated into analyses are necessary to shift to race-conscious approaches that can promote transparency, credibility, and accessibility in transition research. For example, special education researchers call for open science practices such as preregistration of research procedures and analytic methods, preprints versions of research papers, and making raw data available to the public as ways to improve trust in research (Cook et al, 2018;Fleming et al, 2023). We contend that transition researchers must incorporate open science practices to better understand strengths (e.g., representation of underrepresented populations in data) and opportunities (e.g., feedback about reproducibility of research procedures) to improve the accessibility and impact of transition research.…”