Pre-registration is a Game Changer. But, Like Random Assignment, it is Neither Necessary Nor Sufficient for Credible Science

We identify 15 claims Pham and Oh (2020) make to argue against pre-registration. We agree with 7 of the claims, but think that none of them justify delaying the encouragement and adoption of pre-registration. Moreover, while the claim they make in their title is correct—pre-registration is neither necessary nor sufficient for a credible science—this is also true of many our science’s most valuable tools, such as random assignment. Indeed, both random assignment and pre-registration lead to more credible research. Pre-registration is a game changer.