Agricultural and applied economists' views on pre-registration and pre-analysis plans for empirical research

Abstract

Given the widespread credibility crisis of empirical research, disciplines including economics have increasingly turned attention to replicability-seeking venues to enhance trust. One of these approaches is to pre-register a study and prepare a pre-analysis plan. There are promising benefits but also clear challenges, leading selected disciplines of economics to adopt pre-registration and pre-analysis plans for empirical research with caution. This study investigates how agricultural and applied economists view the current development of pre-registration and pre-analysis plans, and offers guidance for future advancements of these practices within the profession.