Pre-registration is the practice of documenting a study’s hypotheses, methods, and analysis plan in a time-stamped public registry before data collection begins. Pre-registrations can help counteract both scientific bias and publication bias - the tendency for research to favor and report positive findings. In research, the same data should not be used to both generate and test a hypothesis, as this can reduce the credibility of research results. Addressing this risk through careful planning helps improve the transparency of the research process. 

Most pre-registrations are simply time-stamped records of a study plan stored in a public registry before data collection. Platforms such as Open Science Framework or AsPredicted mainly check that the form is complete, but they do not conduct formal peer review. There is, however, one important exception: Registered Reports - offered by journals through initiatives like Center for Open Science - are peer reviewed before data collection. Reviewers evaluate the research question, methods, and analysis plan. If the protocol is accepted, the journal commits in principle to publishing the results regardless of whether they are positive or null.