The planning phase of any new study is critical for the quality of the outcome. Comprehensive study planning is a complex process that entails many decisions, particularly for fNIRS research. Ideally, it involves specifying hypotheses with reference to fNIRS outcome measures, choosing adequate methodology and planning statistical analyses before the research is conducted.
Study preregistration allows making these decisions transparent, mitigating potential reporting and research biases.On a step-by-step basis, we take the reader through all important aspects of study design – including the specification of hypotheses, sampling plan, analysis plan, and preprocessing pipeline – and thus provide guidance in planning a state-of-the-art fNIRS study.
The corresponding article “Using preregistration as a tool for transparent fNIRS study design” has been accepted in the Special Issue “30 Years of Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy” in Neurophotonics. To further support researchers, we developed the “Preregistration for fNIRS Research (PRE-fNIRS) Template”, adapting the established PRP-QUANT towards fNIRS research-specific needs and adding examples for fNIRS-specific items.
Project team: Philipp A. Schroedera, Christina Artemenkoa, Jessica E. Kosie, Helena Cockx, Katharina Stute, João Pereira, Franziska Klein, David M. A. Mehler
Project Status: Finished