Transparency, Replication, and Open Science: Implications for the Field of Prevention Science

The field of prevention science is at an inflection point, as additional work is needed both to replicate programs previously shown to be promising and/or effective through rigorous research, and to promote transparency and openness at all stages of the research process. Researchers, institutions of higher education, journals, professional organizations, and funders are all seeking guidance and training on how best to incorporate these methods into everyday practice. Moreover, thought leadership is needed to shift the field’s norms and traditional single-investigator approach to research to embracing a team-science orientation embodied in open-science reforms. The overarching goal of this roundtable is to address a number of facets of these three inter-related topics in relation to the field of prevention science. Specifically, we plan to discuss issues related to pre-registry of research studies and some lessons learned from the recent development and launch of the Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies for the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE)/Institute of Education Sciences; this registry includes pre-analysis plans for studies designed to establish causal conclusions, and thus may be a helpful resource for prevention scientists interested in registering their studies. We will consider issues related to data sharing, for the purpose of archiving and replication of analyses and research findings. We will also explore how this line of inquiry relates to replication of longitudinal studies and implementation research, in addition to the more traditional focus on randomized controlled trials. Also of interest are issues related to transparency throughout the entire research and publication process, including Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines, pre-registry requirements, CONSORT, registered reports, preprints, and data archiving; we will consider the extent to which these practices are becoming more common and the norm in related fields. Multiple perspectives on these issues will be discussed and considered, including those of journal editors, PIs, program developers, funders/sponsors, methodologists, and trainers of the next generation of prevention scientists. We will consider how the field of prevention science could serve as a leader in this movement, and tension points and lack of consensus that may be currently present within the field. Also relevant is the consideration of research ethics and models for training prevention scientists on these topics. We will review some resources that may be helpful for prevention science researchers, such as those available through the Center for Open Science. Finally, the journal Prevention Science is planning to produce a special issue of the journal that is focused on this topic, and thus there will be an opportunity to provide input on the forthcoming open call for papers for consideration in the special issue. It is our goal that this roundtable session will address a variety of issues related to the topics of transparency, replication, and open science and highlight implications for and potential areas of growth for the field of prevention science.