About this resource

    Type of resources
    Reading
    Education level(s)
    College / Upper Division (Undergraduates), Graduate / Professional, Career / Technical, Adult Education
    Primary user(s)
    Student, Teacher, Librarian
    Subject area(s)
    Life Science
    Language(s)
    English
    Cluster
    Pre-analysis Planning
    Last updated
    9 November 2026
    Reading

    Should Preregistration of Epidemiologic Study Protocols Become Compulsory? Reflections and a Counterproposal

    By Timothy L. Lash, Jan P. Vandenbroucke

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    Level College / Upper Division (Undergraduates), Graduate / Professional, Career / Technical, Adult Education · For Student, Teacher, Librarian · Language English

    Abstract

    There is an ongoing debate regarding preregistration of epidemiologic study protocols. We examine the basic idea that preregistration of study protocols and their associated hypotheses would enhance the reliability of observational research. We define instances in which preregistration would be useful, and we support a counter-proposal: a public registry containing descriptions of collected epidemiologic data.

    Keywords Epidemiology · Preregistration