# Preregister

Draft a structured preregistration document (OSF, AsPredicted, or AEA RCT Registry...

- Repository: https://github.com/pedrohcgs/claude-code-my-workflow (1676 stars)
- Category: Design
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-09-27
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add pedrohcgs/claude-code-my-workflow --skill preregister -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add pedrohcgs/claude-code-my-workflow --skill preregister -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add pedrohcgs/claude-code-my-workflow --skill preregister -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add pedrohcgs/claude-code-my-workflow --skill preregister -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Draft a structured preregistration document (OSF, AsPredicted, or AEA RCT Registry style) from a research spec or free-form study description. Output is a Markdown file with hypotheses, design, sampling plan, analysis plan, exclusions, and inference criteria, annotated with MUST / SHOULD / MAY clarity flags. Use when user says "preregister", "draft a preregistration", "OSF preregistration", "AsPredicted", "AEA RCT registry", "PAP", "preanalysis plan", or before launching an experiment / data collection / analysis on data the analyst has not yet seen. NOT a registry submission tool, produces a document the user uploads to OSF / AsPredicted / AEA themselves.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# /preregister, Preregistration Document Generator

Produce a registry-ready preregistration document. The user uploads it to a real registry (OSF / AsPredicted / AEA RCT Registry), this skill writes the prose and structure, it does not submit anywhere.

## Why preregister

Preregistration is a written commitment to your hypotheses, design, and analysis plan **before** you see the data (or, for observational analyses, before you analyse the realised outcome). It separates confirmatory tests from exploratory tests and protects you from p-hacking, HARKing, and forking-paths. Different fields use different registries:

- **Political science**, **psychology**, broad social science → **OSF** (osf.io/registries) is the default. AsPredicted (aspredicted.org) is a popular short form for experiments.
- **Economics field experiments** → **AEA RCT Registry** (socialscienceregistry.org) is mandatory for AEA journal submission since 2018.
- **Public health / clinical trials** → ClinicalTrials.gov or ISRCTN (NOT covered by this skill, use the trial-registry's own template).

## When to use

- Before launching an experiment (lab, field, or survey).
- Before collecting observational data on a target population for a specific RQ.
- Before analysing data you have access to but haven't yet examined for the focal hypothesis.
- During R&R when a referee asks for a written preanalysis plan.

## When NOT to use

- After you've seen the realised outcomes and want to "preregister retrospectively", that is not preregistration. The skill will refuse if the input description includes results.
- For exploratory analyses, those don't need preregistration; they need transparent labelling.
- For meta-analyses, use PROSPERO directly, not this template.

## Workflow

### PHASE 1, Read inputs

Two input modes:

The rest: https://github.com/pedrohcgs/claude-code-my-workflow/blob/HEAD/.claude/skills/preregister/SKILL.md