Registration of research on research integrity is still not common: Findings from the Hong Kong, Cape Town, and Athens editions of the World Conference on Research Integrity

BACKGROUND: This article reports on the prevalence of registration of empirical studies presented at three editions of the World Conference on Research Integrity at the time of abstract submission.

METHODS: During registration and abstract submission, applicants were invited to answer questions on registration of the study they presented and their academic background.

RESULTS: Descriptive analyses of the responses regarding a total of 452 abstracts describing empirical studies showed that the prevalence of registration among presenters of empirical research did not increase across the three WCRIs, and was on average 28%. The verifiability of claims of registration did increase over time, however, from 44% to 88% of the abstracts of empirical studies claimed to be registered. Reasons given for not registering varied substantially, but little faith in its usefulness and unfamiliarity were frequently mentioned. Younger researchers tended to register more often than others, and researchers with a biomedical background registered more frequently.

CONCLUSION: We suggest simplifying the registration process and propose that funding agencies, research institutes, and scholarly journals should demand registration of empirical studies.