Across the social, behavioral, and health sciences, scholars have identified problems with replicability of empirical research findings, leading some to characterize the state of affairs as a “replication crisis” and to propose major reforms to typical processes for conducting, reporting, and evaluating research. One reform that has gained traction is pre-registration, which entails publicly documenting one’s plans for collecting and analyzing data before actually carrying out the study. This process is intended to clearly distinguish planned, confirmatory analysis from exploratory, flexible, or post hoc analysis, the latter of which is more susceptible to hacking, fishing, or analytic flexibility. However, pre-registration entails advanced planning and shifting research processes, which can present practical difficulties both for early career scholars and seasoned investigators. In this session, we will have an interactive discussion about pre-registration in the education sciences, considering its premises, goals, and logic, and discussing the practical challenges and concerns that arise in pre-registering work in different areas and fields.

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