Open Science Badges give quick and easy visual information on whether a publication or a project follows Open Science principles. The badges serve as an incentive to share Open Data and other research material and to carry out pre-registration. The use of Open Science Badges means that the proportion of Open Data and other openly accessible materials increases. At the same time, Open Science Badges also increase trust in researchers, as shown in the study “Do Open Science Badges Increase Trust in Scientists among Undergraduates, Scientists, and the Public?”.

An example are the Open Science Badges of the Center for Open Science. The badges show the pre-registration of a research design, the existence of Open Data and the open accessibility of materials. A special badge is shown if there is protected access to open data, if critical data is deposited in a repository and only accessible after a standardised authorisation procedure. Pre-registration plus shows that there is an analysis plan that directly corresponds with the registered analysis.