Introduction to Open Science and Pre-Registration
UM is on a mission to become a leading example of the Open Science movement, which aims to make research, including papers, data, methods, etc., open to anyone so we can all benefit.

With this workshop, we aim to introduce to you one of the most important steps to making science more open, namely pre-registration. Pre-registration is also a key part of UM’s Open Science as well as Recognition & Rewards policies and programs.

This workshop will not only teach participants how pre-registration applies to their field of study but will also include some hands-on practical examples of how to pre-register research. In the final part, we will conclude with a panel of international experts on the advantages and challenges of pre-registration (especially across disciplines).

With this and many other events, the Open Science Community of UM (OSCM) will help you discover open science topics more deeply so that you can apply Open Science and FAIR principles to your research and data.

Workshop – Pre-registration: Why, How, and Where?
A particularly important step to making science more open is pre-registration, meaning openly pre-specifying design, sample size, hypotheses, and/or planned analyses of a study or data before data collection. Pre-registration is considered a particularly relevant tool to increase trust in science and provide more robust and replicable scientific findings. Acknowledging its usefulness, more and more journals, funders, and universities make pre-registration a requirement or evaluation criterion for hiring or promotion. Moreover, UM has put pre-registration as one of the key areas that faculties will need to improve and develop. Thus, pre-registration will become more important for UM researchers in terms of the Recognition and Rewards program.

This hybrid workshop (in person and online via Zoom) will provide hands-on advice and practical illustrations of why, how, and where scientists should pre-register their studies. Furthermore, it will include exercises for pre-registering participants’ (hypothetical) studies at osf.io and aspredicted.org. The event will then close with an international expert panel that will discuss the advantages and challenges associated with pre-registration in diverse fields and disciplines (e.g., “soft vs. hard” sciences, quantitative or qualitative research, micro or macro research).

The workshop will be taking place on Thursday, December 12th, 2024, from 14.00 to 15.45 hrs at Tongersestraat 53, room A0.24.  Since physical seats are limited, the first 35 participants that indicate they will attend physically can join in person. Others can of course still join online.

This session will be hosted by OSCM member Roman Briker (OSE).

The workshop program is as follows:

14.00 - 14.30 Introduction - An introduction to the necessity and facets of pre-registration - By Roman Briker

14.30 - 15.45 Practice - Practical illustrations of pre-registration - By Roman Briker

Participation is free, but please register so we can keep you up to date on the event. Registration deadline is December 5th, 2024.