Preregistration is the act of publicly registering an evaluation—creating a public record before the start of the intervention. Commonly used registries for randomized controlled trials in postsecondary education include the Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies, the American Economic Association’s registry for randomized controlled trials (which is popular among economists), and the Open Science Framework.^[1]

A preanalysis plan is a public document that describes the evaluation plans.^[2] It often includes details about the evaluation design, outcomes, data sources, and estimation model. Preanalysis plans serve numerous purposes:

1. Clarifying goals, methods, design, and data. Preanalysis plans require researchers to be precise about the goals of their evaluation, clarify the research design and methods, and consider the data they need for analyses.
2. Addressing issues proactively. Ideally, research teams draft preanalysis plans and subject them to external review before posting them online. An external review helps researchers identify weaknesses and risks before it is too late to address them.
3. Enhancing credibility. Researchers reduce the risk of “fishing” for results and the temptation to selectively report findings when they publicly post a preanalysis plan that specifies their hypotheses, methods, outcomes, and more. Publicly committing to an analysis approach increases the credibility of the findings in the eyes of peers, funders, and policymakers.

Preanalysis plans are often formally amended during a randomized controlled trial, which creates a transparent audit trail and makes it easier for researchers to report and explain changes that occur.

THE-RCT’s preanalysis plan checklist and editable annotated outline were inspired by existing checklists and templates, customized for postsecondary education, and vetted by researchers who specialize in higher education for evaluations of postsecondary interventions.