2023/10/02 by Jessie R. Baldwin · 1 voice · 2 citations
Decision Sciences · Health Professions · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Meta-analysis and systematic reviews #Health Policy Implementation Science #Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/jcpp.13898
openalex publication_date 2023/10/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Current incentive structures reward mental health researchers for producing positive, novel, and clean results. This can promote questionable research practices which contribute to a distorted evidence base, in turn limiting progress in mental health research. Registered Reports (RRs) offer a solution to realign the incentives towards conducting high-quality, rigorous, and accurate studies, by preventing publication and reporting biases. However, the uptake of RRs in mental health research has so far been limited. This editorial perspective highlights the advantages of RRs for mental health research, before discussing potential challenges and how they can be addressed. Greater uptake of RRs in mental health research could help to promote a fairer research culture, limit publication bias and questionable research practices, and ultimately, improve understanding of mental health.