Practices making research plans, materials, analyses and outputs inspectable and reusable where ethically appropriate. Preregistration, transparent reporting and executable analysis support distinct aspects of openness. Protecting confidentiality can require restricted data access rather than unrestricted publication.
The Open Science Framework is infrastructure developed by the Center for Open Science for creating and linking inspectable research records. It supports registration of study plans, community-run preprint services and connections to related data, materials, code and publications. These records can connect several stages of an investigation rather than leaving only its final paper visible.[ref]
The Open Science Framework by Center for Open Science. Tools and Services, current description of transparent research records, OSF Registries and OSF Preprints
For example, an investigator can register a planned analysis before collecting data, then link the resulting paper and analysis code to that plan. Comparing the records helps distinguish the prespecified analysis from subsequent exploratory analysis. Registration provides evidence of what was recorded at a particular time; it does not itself show that the study design is sound or that a result is correct. Research transparency and computational reproducibility answer different questions from the truth of a scientific claim.
In his account of the project's history, Brian Nosek describes a failed 2007 grant proposal, Jeff Spies's renewed development effort in 2011 and the opening of the service for public use in 2012. His August 2026 explanation of a change in direction also illustrates an infrastructure constraint: the long-term value of linked research records depends on which services an organization can sustainably maintain.[ref]
OSF Changes: A Note to Users by Brian Nosek. 11 August 2026, Part 1, origins and public launch; Part 2, sustainability and the reduced service scope
Making the provenance, design, measurements and analytical choices underlying a research claim sufficiently inspectable for informed evaluation. It can support computational reproducibility and scientific replication, but does not by itself establish that the measured variable represents the intended construct.
The Center for Open Science is a research organization founded in 2013 to support open science practices. Its work combines research infrastructure with changes to how studies are planned, reported and evaluated.[ref]
About by Center for Open Science. Mission and opening organizational history: founding in 2013 and technology, community and stakeholder strategy
It develops the Open Science Framework, which connects study plans with research materials and outputs. A time-stamped registration can preserve what was planned before the results were known; linked data and code support computational reproducibility. These records let readers examine the relationship between the original plan, later analytical decisions and the published claims.[ref]
The Open Science Framework by Center for Open Science. Register study plans, Link work across tools and systems and Register your work
Presenting a hypothesis suggested by inspected results as if it had been specified beforehand. The misrepresentation, rather than discovery itself, is the problem. Transparent exploratory analysis, preregistration and independent testing preserve the distinction between generating and evaluating a hypothesis.[ref]
Registered Reports by Center for Open Science. Details: HARKing; Scientific Creativity and Exploration
A publication format involving review of the question and methods before outcomes are known, with in-principle publication acceptance conditional on adequate adherence and reporting. It differs from preregistration alone, which need not involve peer review or publication commitment.[ref]
Registered Reports by Center for Open Science. Eligibility features and two-stage workflow
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Open science refers to the movement and practices aimed at making scientific research, data, and dissemination accessible to all levels of the society, including the public. It encompasses a range of principles and practices designed to promote transparency, collaboration, and inclusivity in the scientific process. Key components of open science include: 1. **Open Access**: Making research publications freely available to the public without financial barriers, allowing anyone to read, download, and share the findings.