At the beginning of a study, researchers formulate a research question, hypotheses and draft the study design, defining the scope of the study, the planned methods and analyses, and other relevant aspects. Preregistration should take place before data collection begins, ensuring that the research plans are clear and have been defined independently of the results. Aspects that will not be available until later can, however, be additionally registered during the ongoing study.

Preregistration can take place either as a private "local preregistration" or as a public preregistration on a platform. This is preferable for reasons of transparency. Appropriate platforms are, for example, AsPredicted, the Open Science Framework (OSF) or the AEA RCT Registry for randomised controlled trials. These platforms offer ready-made templates that guide researchers through the process and ensure that all critical questions are addressed. A preregistration does not need to be long, but every additional detail helps to prove that a confirmatory research strategy has been followed. The OSF offers ready-made documents; AsPredicted requires answers to nine questions about the planned research design and analyses; and the AEA RCT Registry requires several structured mandatory fields on the study design and planned analyses.

After preregistration, the study design is publicly available. Other researchers or the interested public can view, review or comment on it. A DOI can also be assigned, making the preregistration permanently citable and traceable. The researchers then conduct the study according to the plan, which prevents subsequent changes or selective publication of the results. Once the results are available, they can be reviewed or replicated according to the study plan.