Rapid Registered Reports initiative aims to stop coronavirus researchers following false leads

Researchers can expect to wait days, rather than months, for the initial peer review.

Published at Nature Index, April 2020.

As COVID-19 sweeps the world, the desire for scientific “good news” is stronger than ever. But with that comes the problem of false positive findings and false leads.

To address this challenge, the journal Royal Society Open Science is expediting its Registered Report review process specifically for COVID-19 research.

In a Registered Report, the study is peer reviewed prior to data collection, with a focus on the methods and analysis plan. The aim of the COVID-19 initiative is to return this initial review to authors within one week of submission.

Passing peer review means that authors receive an ‘in principle’ acceptance — if they follow the agreed research plan, their study will be accepted for publication, regardless of the results.

Studies will be published open access, with reviews made available alongside the article. For this initiative, Royal Society Open Science is waiving its publication fees.

Andrew Dunn, senior publishing editor at the Royal Society, says that Registered Reports are especially advantageous in the current pandemic, noting the potential for global consequences if research is wrong or published too early.

“Registered Reports can help encourage better research practices and, thus, better science with conclusions we can be more confident in,” he says.

Continue reading at Nature Index.