STEP 1: Project start

Even before the start of a project, researchers already have to make a variety of decisions. Most important is the formulation of an interesting research question. Critically, a research gap or limitation of previous work should be derived from the literature (Pautasso, 2013). This requires a comprehensive and systematic literature search, using subject-specific databases and search engines, which are listed in ARIADNE (e.g., ➜ PsycInfo, American Psychological Association (APA); ➜ PubMed, National Institutes of Health). However, novel research findings that are still in the peer-review process cannot be found via these databases. Therefore, researchers should also widen their search towards preprint repositories (e.g., ➜ MetaArXiv, ➜ bioRxiv, ➜ PsyArXiv, or ➜ PsychArchives) for appropriate content, keeping in mind that the latter work has not been peer-reviewed yet. Adopting an open science approach is also useful to avoid one’s idea or project being scooped by other researchers (e.g., a preregistration or Registered Report documents one’s original ideas; Laine, 2017; ➜ Connected Papers or ➜ Research Rabbit; see Table 1). Moreover, direct or conceptual replications of prior work have been highlighted to be critical to scientific progress (Nosek & Errington, 2017).

Depending on the research question, different amounts of funding are required, so a third-party funding application might be necessary. Researchers who depend on grants have to keep in mind that such applications take substantial amounts of time and are not guaranteed to succeed. If there is not enough money available, it may be an option to adapt the research question accordingly at this stage (e.g., switching from a lab experiment to an online experiment). Researchers can also first conduct a pilot study for feasibility testing and use the obtained results for a funding application (see Step 4; e.g., a behavioral study before employing more complex and costly neuroscientific methods). One should also consider whether the research question can be answered in the time available, in particular if they work on fixed contracts. Researchers who work on a joint research project have to discuss (and document) the responsibilities of each member of the project teams. Possibly, during the following steps, the research group may realize that further expertise is required, which can lead to the inclusion of additional co-authors. Finally, the research group should ideally establish a workflow pipeline that outlines the subsequent steps (i.e., Steps 2 to 9; Gantt charts: bar charts used to illustrate a project schedule, showing start and finish dates of activities and their dependencies ➜ Ganttrify. This is particularly useful for a set of related tasks within a project (e.g., planning, scheduling, and monitoring projects and work packages).