In this keynote, Chris Chambers introduced a new platform for supporting Registered Reports called the Peer Community in Registered Reports (PCI RR).

Registered Reports are a form of empirical publication, offered by over 300 journals, in which study proposals are peer reviewed and pre-accepted before research is undertaken. By deciding which articles are published based on the question, theory, and methods, Registered Reports offer a remedy for a range of reporting and publication biases.

PCI RR is a non-profit, non-commercial platform that coordinates the peer-reviews of RR preprints. Once the submissions are accepted following peer review (or, in PCI terms, “recommended”), the revised manuscript is posted at the preprint server where the preprint is hosted, and the peer reviews and recommendation of the preprint are posted at the PCI website. PCI RR is also joined by a growing fleet of “PCI RR-friendly” journals that agree to endorse the recommendations of PCI RR without further review, giving the authors the power to choose which journal, if any, will publish their manuscript. By reclaiming control of the peer review process from publishers, PCI RR (and the wider suite of PCIs in different fields) offer a promising avenue for ensuring that Registered Reports are made as open, accessible, and rigorous as possible, while also moving toward a future in which journals themselves become obsolete. 

For background, see this blog from University of Sussex: Registered Reports free for authors and readers.