The Open Science Framework (OSF) is a free-of-charge network for research materials, an open source project management tool as well as one of the widely used registries for preregistration in the social sciences. It supports researchers throughout all phases of a project, from planning and data collection to analysis and dissemination.

Research teams can organise collaboration, store materials, and manage workflows in one place. Projects can be made publicly accessible to enhance transparency and visibility, or kept private during active research phases. Through integrations with common storage and workflow tools, OSF allows researchers to centralise project management and documentation.

Beyond project management, OSF functions as a public registry and discovery environment. Users can search for papers, data, and other research materials shared via OSF. For preregistration, researchers can create a registration directly from an existing project, select a structured template, and generate a time-stamped record of their study design. Registrations may be made publicly available immediately or embargoed for a defined period. Examples from economics can be found by searching for “economics” within OSF.

Tip: The video Getting Started on the OSF: A Hands-on Guide provides an overview of the services offered by OSF, while this tutorial explains the registration and preregistration process. Helpful tips and tricks how to best use the OSF can be found here. Further practical guidance is available through the following introductory worksheets:

• “Increase your visibility” 
• “Improve your research with preregistration”
• “Link your own paper and the analysis efficiently”
• “Increase your visibility with transparent data”