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I have over the years observed a strategy taken by some editors of hi impact journals when presented w/ Registered Reports to (attempt to) devalue them & so avoid having to offer them
First, the editors of these journals don't want to offer @RegReports
Why? Several reasons
/1 https://twitter.com/ferguskane/status/1337025323632914432
First, the editors of these journals don't want to offer @RegReports
Why? Several reasons
/1 https://twitter.com/ferguskane/status/1337025323632914432
1st they don't want to publish null or complicated findings. They worry this will tarnish their prestige (making them seem less selective). And they worry about their impact factor, though they needn't: RRs are cited just as well as regular articles https://osf.io/5y8w7/
2nd, they don't really know how to evaluate them. When you rely on RESULTS to determine what to accept, you basically undertrain your editors & you become unable to assess real quality. Look at outlets like Curr Bio, PNAS, as classic examples of frequent editorial incompetence.
So to avoid this, what the editors/publisher do is push @RegReports to a newer sister journal. A journal with lesser or no reputation, & usually more progressive/open policies. A risk-free zone.
The prestigious journal then says "We don't need to offer RRs b/c [sister] does"
The prestigious journal then says "We don't need to offer RRs b/c [sister] does"
And to complete the strategy, when the sister receives few @RegReports submissions, as it is destined to do (for reasons unrelated to @RegReports themselves), the editors of the prestigious journal can then say "Look, @RegReports aren't sufficiently popular to offer them here"
To see this strategy for what it is, just remember one thing: many prestigious journals maintain their prestige by retaining absolute power to cherry pick what RESULTS they will publish. @RegReports take this away from them.
It doesn't have to be this way. Prestigious journals like @PLOSBiology have found ways to support @RegReports by calibrating the pre-study evaluation to their requirements. There is a path here for such journals to take, if they can overcome their fears. https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3000693
