Registered Replication Reports in the Classroom

Abstract

Background: Registered Reports are an emerging publication format, which emphasizes methodological rigor over results. Integrating this format into education allows one to teach research skills when data collection is infeasible.

Objective: To evaluate the implementation of Registered Reports for replication research in an undergraduate psychology methods course.

Method: A five-week course was conducted where students developed Stage 1 Registered Reports proposing to replicate published findings. The evaluation was conducted by the students through consensus meetings held during a paper-in-a-day workshop, which also served as a collaborative writing activity for this paper.

Results: Registered Reports scaffolded students’ research skills, enhanced motivation, and instilled open science values. Students gained practical insights into reproducible research practices, but worried about the necessary support to continue applying them and expressed concerns about public pre-registration, citing fears of criticism.

Conclusion: Registered Reports are valuable for teaching research methods, particularly in courses where data collection is impractical. However, institutional support and curriculum-wide integration are essential to sustain the benefits they provide.