Why do journals publish research protocols?

Abstract

A protocol is defined as “the detailed plan of the study.” Every research study should have a protocol, and the protocol should be written explicitly [1]. The increasing emphasis on transparency in research has been accompanied by a growing recognition of the importance of research protocols. Furthermore, it is well known that various biases, including publication bias and selective outcome reporting bias, can be reduced through protocol registration. In recent years, there has been a shift from registering research protocols to publishing them. This article describes the reasons for publishing research protocols and the foreseeable impacts of this trend.