01780nas a2200169   4500000000100000008004100001260001100042100001500053700002500068700002300093245009900116856005800215300001200273490000700285520130400292022001401596       2022                            d  c2022-41 aJerry Suls1 aAlexander J. Rothman1 aKarina W. Davidson00aNow Is the Time to Assess the Effects of Open Science Practices with Randomized Control Trials  uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9119902/  a467-4750 v773 aWe issue a call for the design and conduct of experimental trials to test
the effects of researchers' adoption of Open Science (OS) research
practices. OS emerged to address lapses in the transparency, quality, integrity,
and reproducibility of research by proposing that investigators institute
practices, such as preregistering study hypotheses, procedures and statistical
analyses, prior to launching their research. These practices have been greeted
with enthusiasm by some parts of the scientific community, but empirical
evidence of their effects relies mainly on observational studies; furthermore,
questions remain about the time and effort required by these practices and their
ultimate benefit to science. To assess the outcomes of OS research practices, we
propose they be viewed as behavioral interventions for scientists and tested in
randomized controlled trials (RCTs), to identify potential benefits and
(unintended) harms. As this is a call to action rather than an action plan
per se, we sketch out four potential trial designs to
encourage further deliberation and planning. Experimental tests to document the
outcomes of OS practices can provide evidence to optimize how scientists,
funders, policymakers, and institutions utilize these strategies to advance
scientific practice.  a0003-066X