Announcements
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: To accommodate reviewer and recommender holiday schedules, we will be closed to ALL submissions from 1st Jul - 1st Sep. During this time, reviewers can submit reviews and recommenders can issue decisions, but no new or revised submissions can be made by authors.
The one exception to this rule is that authors using the scheduled track who submit their initial Stage 1 snapshot prior to 1st Jul can choose a date within the shutdown period to submit their full Stage 1 manuscript.
We recommend that authors submit at least 1-2 weeks prior to commencement of the shutdown period to enable time to make any required revisions prior to in-depth review.
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Latest recommendations
Id | Title * | Authors * | Abstract * | Picture | Thematic fields * | Recommender | Reviewers | Submission date | |
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18 Jun 2025
STAGE 1
![]() A climate action intervention to boost individual and collective climate mitigation behaviors in young adultsAnna Castiglione, Cameron Brick, Gianluca Esposito, Andrea Bizzego https://osf.io/f69vh?view_only=511cf9f0b45c413088811c2a490290d2Putting climate action intervention to the test: Part 2Recommended by Chris ChambersThis Stage 1 submission is the second installment in a programme of research investigating the effectiveness of a longitudinal, in-person intervention to engage young adults in climate action.
As noted in the Part 1 recommendation, it is increasingly recognised that resolving the climate crisis will require not only the reform of law and government policy but collective grassroots action to change individual behaviour and put public pressure on political leaders, companies and institutions to cut emissions. The capacity, however, for individual citizens to take such steps is limited by lack of knowledge/awareness of means and opportunities as well as psychological barriers that can make such actions seem impossible, fruitless or against the person's immediate self-interest. Interventions designed to overcome these obstacles and promote individual behaviour change have met with only limited success, with many based on weak psychological evidence and the outcome measures used to evaluate their success prone to error and bias.
Castiglione et al. (2025) outline a series of five studies to test, evaluate, and optimise a longitudinal intervention for engaging young adults (aged 18-35) in individual and collective climate action. Building on existing theory and evidence, the authors have designed an intensive 6-week educational intervention that draws on 12 psychological factors linked to pro-environmental behaviour, including emotional engagement, self-efficacy, collective efficacy, theory of change, cognitive alternatives, perceived behavioural control, implementation intentions, social norms, self-identity, collective identity, appraisal, and faith in institutions. Through the use of ecological momentary assessment (EMA), they measure these targeted psychological correlates as well as individual and collective climate engagement of participants before and after the intervention (and in active groups vs. controls), and then again after a further three months.
The current submission combines two innovations: a single Stage 1 protocol leading to multiple Stage 2 outputs (under the PCI RR programmatic track) and a pre-specification in which the design of the intervention in later studies is updated and refined following the results of earlier studies (under the PCI RR incremental registrations policy). Following study 1 (conducted in university students in Italy and currently under Stage 2 review), the authors have updated their protocol to refine the design of study 2 compared to the original Stage 1 manuscript, including the recruitment methodology and outcome measures. One key change is the addition of an ‘alignment score’ that is designed to capture self-regulation in action completion by tracking how well climate-related actions planned by participants align with the actions they actually performed.
The Stage 1 manuscript was evaluated over two rounds of in-depth review. Based on detailed responses to the reviewers' comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 1 criteria and therefore awarded in-principle acceptance (IPA).
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/e6td2
Level of bias control achieved: Level 3. At least some data/evidence that will be used to the answer the research question has been previously accessed by the authors (e.g. downloaded or otherwise received), but the authors certify that they have not yet observed any part of the data/evidence. List of eligible PCI RR-friendly journals:
References
Castiglione, A., Brick, C., Esposito, G., & Bizzego, A. (2025). A climate action intervention to boost individual and collective climate mitigation behaviors in young adults [updated Stage 1 manuscript]. In principle acceptance of Version 3 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/e6td2
| A climate action intervention to boost individual and collective climate mitigation behaviors in young adults | Anna Castiglione, Cameron Brick, Gianluca Esposito, Andrea Bizzego | <p>We present a programmatic research line to test whether a longitudinal intervention aiming to increase key psychological correlates of pro-environmental behavior motivates young adults to take climate action. In five longitudinal studies, we wi... | Social sciences | Chris Chambers | 2024-11-30 19:26:34 | View | ||
16 Jun 2025
STAGE 1
![]() Exploration of Young Women’s Experience of Body Dissatisfaction, Body Shame and Interpersonal Functioning: A Qualitative Registered ReportLivia Sacchi, Isabelle Carrard https://osf.io/hxuqvBody Dissatisfaction and Shame in Women's Interpersonal LivesRecommended by Veli-Matti KarhulahtiEating disorders and disordered eating (DE) in general refer to various habits and symptoms, such as binge eating, fasting, and extreme control of one’s weight. Whereas specific eating disorders tend to have an estimated prevalence of less than 1% (DSM-5-TR, 2022), different types of DE are more common especially among young women. Evidence has accumulated for body dissatisfaction and shame to play a role in DE development, but qualitative knowledge regarding this is limited. Sacchi and Carrard’s (2025) planned research contributes to this gap through the lens of interpersonal functioning, and asks:
How are body dissatisfaction and body shame related in the lived experience of young women? What is the role of interpersonal functioning in the experience of body dissatisfaction and body shame?
The authors will interview approximately 20 French-speaking young women who report body dissatisfaction. The analysis is carried out via reflexive thematic analysis. The transparent plan includes various quality checks, such as a reflexivity journal with an audit trail and the valuable data will be deposited for safe reuse after careful anonymisation.
The Stage 1 manuscript was evaluated by three reviewers from psychology with both methods and topic expertise. All reviewers returned for a second evaluation round. Based on the authors careful revisions and reponses to review feedback, the third revision of the plan was considered to satisfy Stage 1 criteria and therefore awarded in-principle acceptance (IPA).
Level of bias control achieved: Level 6. No part of the data or evidence that will be used to answer the research question yet exists and no part will be generated until after IPA.
List of eligible PCI-RR-friendly journals:
References
1. DSM-5-TR (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders 5: Text Revision. American Psychiatric Association. 2. Sacchi, L. & Carrard, I. (2025) Exploration of Young Women’s Experience of Body Dissatisfaction, Body Shame and Interpersonal Functioning: A Qualitative Registered Report. In principle acceptance of Version 3 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/hxuqv
| Exploration of Young Women’s Experience of Body Dissatisfaction, Body Shame and Interpersonal Functioning: A Qualitative Registered Report | Livia Sacchi, Isabelle Carrard | <p style="text-align: justify;">Body dissatisfaction is one of the main risk factors for the development of disordered eating (DE) and eating disorders (EDs) in women. While body dissatisfaction is targeted in existing preventive interventions, it... | Social sciences | Veli-Matti Karhulahti | 2024-11-22 16:34:20 | View | ||
14 Jun 2025
STAGE 1
![]() Unveiling the neurophysiological blueprint of Sense of Agency in Borderline Personality Disorder: implications for self-other differentiationMarcella Romeo, Marta Bortoletto, Agnese Zazio, Livia Colle, Carlotta Zampese, Claudia Fracassi, Roberta Rossi, Emiliano Ricciardi, Francesca Garbarini, Carlotta Fossataro https://osf.io/4dwxa?view_only=5ecc74de6c1f4c1093a1a598214182b7Impaired self other discrimination in borderline personality disorderRecommended by Robert McIntoshBorderline personality disorder may be associated with an impaired tendency to discriminate self and other. When people cause tactile sensations to themselves, these sensations are attenuated relative to the same tactile stimulus caused by others. This sensory attenuation is a reflection of the ability to discriminate self and other. Sensory attenuation can be indexed either by reduced ratings of perceived intensity for self versus other-generated stimuli; or by reduced somatosensory evoked potentials for self versus other-generated stimuli. One theory of self-injury in borderline personality disorder is that people with borderline personality disorder who injure themselves (non-suicidally) may regain appropriate self-other discrimination.
Romeo et al. (2025) will test the theory that people with borderline personality disorder without self-injury have an impaired tendency to discriminate self and others by having three groups of people receive small electric shocks delivered either by their own actions or the actions of the experimenter. Perceived intensity and somatosensory evoked potentials will be used to measure sensory attenuation for self versus other-generated actions. The theory predicts that sensory attenuation will be impaired for people with borderline personality disorder without self-injury relative to both a) healthy controls, and b) people with personality disorder with self-injury. This will be an important study for assessing self-other representation in borderline personality disorder. The Stage 1 manuscript was evaluated over six rounds of peer review. Based on detailed responses to the reviewers' comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 1 criteria and was therefore awarded in-principle acceptance (IPA).
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/sztek
Level of bias control achieved: Level 6. No part of the data or evidence that will be used to answer the research question yet exists and no part will be generated until after IPA. List of eligible PCI RR-friendly journals:
References Romeo, M., Bortoletto, M., Zazio, A., Colle, L., Zampese, C., Fracassi, C., Rossi, R., Ricciardi, E., Garbarini, F., & Fossataro, C. (2025). Unveiling the neurophysiological blueprint of Sense of Agency in Borderline Personality Disorder: implications for self-other differentiation. In principle acceptance of Version 7 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/sztek
| Unveiling the neurophysiological blueprint of Sense of Agency in Borderline Personality Disorder: implications for self-other differentiation | Marcella Romeo, Marta Bortoletto, Agnese Zazio, Livia Colle, Carlotta Zampese, Claudia Fracassi, Roberta Rossi, Emiliano Ricciardi, Francesca Garbarini, Carlotta Fossataro | <p>Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by instability in identity, relationships, and affect and has been associated with impaired self-other discrimination, reflecting difficulties in distinguishing between self and others' per... | Humanities, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences | Robert McIntosh | 2024-03-14 18:28:24 | View | ||
13 Jun 2025
STAGE 1
![]() Too Tired to be Honest: The Role of Mental Fatigue in DishonestyMara Bialas, Maarten Boksem, Daniela Becker, Wolter Pieters, Erik Bijleveld https://osf.io/faeup/files/osfstorage/68405275f5a33ade1da4dc71Testing Competing Accounts of Why Mental Fatigue Might Impact DishonestyRecommended by Moin SyedWe want people to be honest, and we want to believe that people around us are acting honestly. This is particularly the case when honesty is related to some external stakes, such as a performance evaluation or monetary award. Violations of honesty in such a context are generally thought of as cheating. The motivation to engage in cheating is obviously complex, multidimensional, and can be driven by personality, self-interest, or situational demands. Feelings of stress, exhaustion, or fatigue while completing a task have been demonstrated to be related to engaging in dishonest behavior. The reasons for why, exactly, are still unclear.
In the current study, Bialas et al. (2025) propose to further our understanding of how mental fatigue impacts cheating by testing two competing accounts in the literature. The self-interest overriding account suggests that individuals must exert effort to overcome their baseline tendency to act in their self-interest, which then leads to fatigue that can, in turn, increase the chance of cheating. In contrast, the moral default account suggests that individuals have differing baseline tendencies to be honest, and that it requires effort to act out of alignment with this baseline, and so when fatigued. people should engage in behaviors (e.g., cheating) that align with their baseline. Building on a pilot study, Bialas et al. will conduct a within-subject lab experiment that tests the two competing accounts.
The Stage 1 manuscript was evaluated over three rounds of in-depth peer review, the first consisting of substantial comments from two scholars with relevant expertise, and the second consisting of a re-review by the original two reviewers. The final evaluation involved a close review by the recommender. Based on detailed responses to the reviewers' comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 1 criteria and was therefore awarded in-principle acceptance (IPA).
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/fd86y
Level of bias control achieved: Level 6. No part of the data or evidence that will be used to answer the research question yet exists and no part will be generated until after IPA. List of eligible PCI RR-friendly journals:
References
Bialas, M., Becker, D., Pieters, W., Boksem, M. A. S., & Bijleveld, E. (2025). Too tired to be honest: The role of mental fatigue in dishonesty. In principle acceptance of Version 3 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/fd86y
| Too Tired to be Honest: The Role of Mental Fatigue in Dishonesty | Mara Bialas, Maarten Boksem, Daniela Becker, Wolter Pieters, Erik Bijleveld | <p>The research seeks to investigate the effect of mental fatigue on dishonesty, focusing on two competing theoretical accounts: the self-interest overriding account and the moral default account. The self-interest overriding account posits that m... | Social sciences | Moin Syed | 2024-06-20 12:25:56 | View | ||
12 Jun 2025
STAGE 1
![]() A Simple Model for Complex Technology: Introducing and Testing a Framework to Understand Acceptance of Shared Automated VehiclesOle Aasvik, Pål Ulleberg, Marjan Hagenzieker https://osf.io/6ykxqUnderstanding Public Acceptance of Shared Automated Vehicles: Testing the SAVA ModelRecommended by Subramanya Prasad ChandrashekarWhat drives public acceptance of shared automated vehicles (SAVs)? In this study, Aasvik et al. (2025) propose testing a simplified Shared Automated Vehicle Acceptance (SAVA) model, which identifies trust, utility, and social comfort as the key drivers of acceptance. Unlike more complex existing frameworks (e.g., UTAUT-4AV, MAVA), the proposed SAVA model aims to be parsimonious, offering practical insights for policymakers and service providers seeking to enhance public acceptance of SAVs.
The authors combine survey methodology with a 2×2×2 experimental design to test whether the three proposed drivers can be treated as a General Acceptance Factor (GAF), and whether targeted informational interventions can enhance these perceptions. Sampling will be conducted via SMS recruitment across Norway. Power analyses were conducted using Monte Carlo simulations, targeting a final sample size of 2,000 (N = 250 per condition) to detect small effects (Cohen’s f = 0.15–0.20) with 80–90% power.
The Stage 1 manuscript was reviewed by three experts. Based on detailed responses to reviewers’ and the recommender’s comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 1 criteria and therefore awarded in-principle acceptance.
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/yav8e
Level of bias control achieved: Level 6. No part of the data or evidence that will be used to answer the research question yet exists and no part will be generated until after IPA.
List of eligible PCI RR-friendly journals:
References
Aasvik, O., Ulleberg, P., & Hagenzieker, M. (2025). Simple Model for Complex Technology: Introducing and Testing a Framework to Understand Acceptance of Shared Automated Vehicles [Stage 1 Registered Report]. In principle acceptance of Version 2 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/yav8e
| A Simple Model for Complex Technology: Introducing and Testing a Framework to Understand Acceptance of Shared Automated Vehicles | Ole Aasvik, Pål Ulleberg, Marjan Hagenzieker | <div>Shared automated vehicles (SAVs) have the potential to revolutionize urban mobility but face significant public resistance. Existing research on SAV acceptance is fragmented and often relies on complex theoretical models. In this study, we pr... | Social sciences | Subramanya Prasad Chandrashekar | 2025-03-21 13:46:48 | View | ||
11 Jun 2025
STAGE 1
![]() Neural correlates of line bisection and landmark tasks in neurotypical people: A registered systematic review and SDM-PSI meta-analysis of fMRI studiesNicola E. Burns, Edward Silson, Robert D. McIntosh https://osf.io/ctskmA meta-analytic blueprint for bisection and landmark task fMRI studiesRecommended by Sara GarofaloUnderstanding how the human brain supports spatial attention is a fundamental aim of cognitive neuroscience. Among the behavioural paradigms that have been used for over a century to probe spatial biases, the line bisection and landmark tasks stand out for their clinical relevance and conceptual clarity. These paradigms, where individuals are asked either to mark the midpoint of a horizontal line (bisection) or to judge the symmetry of a pre-transected line (landmark), have not only helped to diagnose spatial neglect in stroke patients but have also been instrumental in revealing subtle spatial asymmetries in neurotypical individuals, a phenomenon often termed "pseudoneglect" (Jewell & McCourt, 2000).
Despite their wide adoption and extensive application in functional neuroimaging studies, the neural substrates consistently engaged by these tasks in healthy individuals remain unclear. Here, Burns et al. (2025) directly address this critical gap by setting out a transparent, reproducible plan for a systematic review and seed-based mapping with permutation of subject images (SDM-PSI) meta-analysis of fMRI studies. This initiative is commendable both for its theoretical focus and its methodological rigor, and as such, it earns a strong recommendation.
This review protocol is comprehensive and well justified. The authors detail an inclusive and structured search strategy, systematic screening procedures, and clearly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria that will ensure the homogeneity and relevance of the included studies. Importantly, the focus is on neurotypical adults, which allows the review to establish a normative baseline for brain activations during these paradigms, a necessary step before comparing patterns in clinical groups such as individuals with spatial neglect.
The methodological strengths of this Stage 1 submission are considerable. The research questions are well posed, focused, and theoretically meaningful. By conducting separate meta-analyses for bisection and landmark tasks and then performing a conjunction analysis, the authors will be able to disentangle task-specific from shared neural substrates. This analytical separation is particularly important for interpreting domain-specific vs. general attentional mechanisms in the brain.
As with any meta-analysis, the conclusions of this review will be limited by the quality and reporting standards of the included studies. For example, potential inconsistencies in task implementation, scanner parameters, or statistical thresholds across studies could introduce noise into the results. While the authors propose to conduct subgroup analyses (e.g., excluding ROI-based studies or grey literature), heterogeneity may remain a limiting factor.
In conclusion, this Stage 1 Registered Report presents a rigorously designed and theoretically significant plan to synthesise over three decades of functional neuroimaging research on spatial attention. By combining high methodological transparency with state-of-the-art meta-analytic tools, Burns et al. offer a valuable contribution that will clarify the neural architecture of bisection and landmark tasks. Their work stands to impact both basic research on attention and applied fields such as neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation.
The Stage 1 manuscript was evaluated over two rounds of review. Based on detailed responses to the reviewers' comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 1 criteria and therefore awarded in-principle acceptance (IPA).
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/3nc2h Level of bias control achieved: Level 2. At least some data/evidence that will be used to answer the research question has been accessed and partially observed by the authors, but the authors certify that they have not yet observed the key variables within the data that will be used to answer the research question and they have taken additional steps to maximise bias control and rigour. List of eligible PCI RR-friendly Journals:
References
1. Burns, N.E., McIntosh, R.D., & Silson, E. (2025). Neural correlates of line bisection and landmark tasks in neurotypical people: A registered systematic review and SDM-PSI meta-analysis of fMRI studies. In principle acceptance of Version 2 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/3nc2h
2. Jewell, G. & McCourt, M. E. (2000). Pseudoneglect: a review and meta-analysis of performance factors in line bisection tasks. Neuropsychologia, 38, 93-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0028-3932(99)00045-7
| Neural correlates of line bisection and landmark tasks in neurotypical people: A registered systematic review and SDM-PSI meta-analysis of fMRI studies | Nicola E. Burns, Edward Silson, Robert D. McIntosh | <p>Line bisection and landmark tasks are common tests of spatial attentional biases, which <br>typically manifest as subtle leftward deviations (pseudoneglect) in neurotypical individuals,<br>and as substantial rightward deviations in people ... | Life Sciences | Sara Garofalo | Anonymous, Chris Chambers | 2025-01-21 13:24:56 | View | |
Does pupillometry provide a valid measure of spatial attentional bias (pseudoneglect)?Nicola E. Burns, Vlad Grigoraș, James Barrie, Robert D. McIntosh https://osf.io/qhca4Assessing visuospatial biases (pseudoneglect) using pupillometry: A replication and extension of Strauch et al. (2022)Recommended by Gemma Learmonth‘Pseudoneglect’ is a small, lateralised bias of visuospatial attention towards the left side of space, and is typically observed in healthy adults. Recently, Strauch et al. (2022) reported that bright stimuli presented in the left visual field induced a greater constriction of the pupil (the pupillary light reflex) compared to the same bright stimuli presented in the right visual field. Further, the pupillary restriction bias was positively correlated with a behavioural measure of pseudoneglect (the greyscales task).
In this report, Burns, Grigoraș, Barrie and McIntosh (2025) aimed to replicate and extend the study of Strauch et al. (2022). The extension centred around investigating whether pupillary biases are influenced by recording the pupillary responses from the right or left eye. They found that the eye of recording was indeed important in this context: light presented in the ipsilateral field led to more constriction than in the contralateral field. There was also a small pseudoneglect effect overall, with stronger constriction to light presented to the left vs the right, but no correlation between pupillary restriction bias and the greyscales task. The authors conclude that the split-field paradigm is effective in detecting pseudoneglect, although it is not a particularly sensitive method. This is an important finding, given that these methods could potentially be used to identify subtle lateralised attention impairments in patients with hemispatial neglect, with the added benefit that no manual response is needed to measure pupillary constriction.
The Stage 2 manuscript was reviewed over one round by two reviewers, including an author of the study that was replicated. Based on detailed responses to the reviewers' comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 2 criteria and awarded a positive recommendation.
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/ua9jn
Level of bias control achieved: Level 6. No part of the data or evidence that was used to answer the research question was generated until after IPA. List of eligible PCI-RR-friendly journals:
References
1. Strauch, C., Romein, C., Naber, M., Van der Stigchel, S. & Ten Brink, A. F. (2022). The orienting response drives pseudoneglect—Evidence from an objective pupillometric method. Cortex, 151, 259-271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2022.03.006
2. Burns, N. E., Grigoraș, V., Barrie, J. & McIntosh, R. D. (2025). Does pupillometry provide a valid measure of spatial attentional bias (pseudoneglect)? [Stage 2] Acceptance of Version 2 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/qhca4
| Does pupillometry provide a valid measure of spatial attentional bias (pseudoneglect)? | Nicola E. Burns, Vlad Grigoraș, James Barrie, Robert D. McIntosh | <p>Strauch et al. (2022) introduced a novel approach to assess biases of visual attention, by <br>measuring pupillary constriction in response to split-field stimuli, in which a bright patch is<br>presented to one visual field and a dark patc... | Life Sciences, Social sciences | Gemma Learmonth | 2025-04-08 12:56:58 | View | ||
Does concern regarding climate change impact subsequent mental health? A longitudinal analysis using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)Daniel Major-Smith, Isaac Halstead, Katie Major-Smith https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/4dfcn_v2Climate change concern doesn't impact the subsequent mental health of young adults in the UKRecommended by Thomas EvansThe link between climate change and health is becoming increasingly clear, and problematic (IPCC, 2023). While most agree that climate change is a problem (Vlasceanu et al., 2024) and evidence is starting to emerge that individual's wellbeing can benefit from engaging in proenvironmental behaviour (Prinzing, 2023), there is little robust longitudinal evidence available to make causal claims about the complex and inter-related nature of these types of effects.
In the current study, Major-Smith et al. (2025) used the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to explore whether climate concern has a causal impact upon mental health. Strategic use of this pre-existing data allowed consideration of both confounding bias and reverse causality to provide more rigorous evidence for this causal effect. The second research question (whether climate action moderates this relationship) was of great personal and professional interest, as someone who struggles with climate anxiety, and plants hundred of trees annually to try and mitigate the dread. Capable of exploring the potential for individual-level climate action to have a double effect - directly help with climate change mitigation and also an individuals' mental health, the research was a rewarding and insightful line of inquiry in a domain desperate for a more rapid and rigorous evidence-base.
In summary, the results weren't as (I) expected. On average, climate change concerns didn't, on average, compromise subsequent mental health, and climate action/beliefs didn't moderate this relationship. The former finding has been corroborated by the results from UK participants of a recently published longitudinal study (Collery & Niedzwiedz, 2025). Together these works deviate from the conclusions of the majority of the extant literature taking cross-sectional approaches (and as such far less capable of informing causal interpretations). This rigorously produced work provides a robust gateway to further study in this vital domain, considering issues of (geographical) vulnerability, climate concern vs climate anxiety, and wider societal factors like government (in)action.
The Stage 2 manuscript was evaluated over two rounds of review. Based on detailed responses to the reviewers' comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 2 criteria and awarded a positive recommendation.
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/t6d3k
Level of bias control achieved: Level 2. At least some data/evidence that was used to answer the research question had been accessed and partially observed by the authors, but the authors certify that they had not yet observed the key variables within the data that were used to answer the research question and they took additional steps to maximise bias control and rigour. List of eligible PCI RR-friendly Journals:
References
1. IPCC (2023). Accessed here: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/resources/spm-headline-statements
2. Major-Smith, D., Halstead, I., & Major-Smith, K. (2025) Does concern regarding climate change impact subsequent mental health? A longitudinal analysis using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) [Stage 2]. Acceptance of Version 2 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/4dfcn_v2
3. Prinzing, M. (2023). Proenvironmental Behavior Increases Subjective Well-Being: Evidence From an Experience-Sampling Study and a Randomized Experiment. Psychological Science, 35, 951-961. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976241251766
4. Vlasceanu, M., Doell, K. C., Bak-Coleman, J. B., Todorova, B., Berkebile-Weinberg, M. M., Grayson, S. J., ... & Lutz, A. E. (2024). Addressing climate change with behavioral science: A global intervention tournament in 63 countries. Science Advances, 10, eadj5778. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adj5778
5. Collery, A., & Niedzwiedz, C. L. (2025). Climate change worry and the association with future 886
depression and anxiety: cross-national analysis of 11 European countries. BMJ Mental Health, 887 28, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjment-2024-301318 | Does concern regarding climate change impact subsequent mental health? A longitudinal analysis using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) | Daniel Major-Smith, Isaac Halstead, Katie Major-Smith | <p>Climate change is having a substantial – and increasingly severe – impact on our planet, affecting people’s health, security and livelihoods. As a consequence, the concept of ‘climate anxiety’ has recently been developed to characterise the psy... | Medical Sciences, Social sciences | Thomas Evans | 2025-01-14 11:43:13 | View | ||
09 Jun 2025
STAGE 1
![]() Replication of “Nano-Flares: Probes for Transfection and mRNA Detection in Living Cells”Maha Said, Mustafa Gharib, Raphaël Lévy https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/q8zsg_v4Are the Findings of "Nano-Flares: Probes for Transfection and mRNA Detection in Living Cells" Reproducible?Recommended by Cecilia Menard-MoyonOver the past two decades, significant progress has been made in the development of nanoparticles capable of transducing environmental changes into alterations in their optical properties, paving the way for promising applications in biosensing and theranostics. Numerous studies reported the use of nanoparticle-based probes to detect intracellular targets, such as RNAs, glutathione, ATP, various ions and intracellular pH levels. However, it is well established that nanoparticles typically enter cells via endocytosis, and only about 1-2% successfully escape endosomes. This raises an important scientific question about how nanoparticle-based probes can reliably detect cytosolic targets if they predominantly remain sequestered within endosomal compartments. Addressing this contradiction and elucidating the mechanisms of cellular uptake and cytosolic access is a key challenge. Insights into this process have far-reaching implications, not only for intracellular sensing, but also for the advancement of nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery.
A pioneering, influential and highly cited study by Seferos et al. (2007) described a new class of intracellular probe fluorophore-labeled oligonucleotide-functionalized gold nanoparticles named nano-flares. They demonstrated that these nanoparticles serve as both transfection agents and cellular nano-flares, for the detection and quantification of mRNA in living cells, when hybridized with fluorophore-labeled oligonucleotide complements. The effectiveness of the nano-flares stemmed from the strong fluorescence-quenching properties of gold, their cellular uptake capacity and enzymatic stability. The nano-flares displayed strong signal intensity, minimal background fluorescence and high sensitivity to variations in intracellular RNA transcript levels.
In the current study, Said et al. (2025) aim at replicating key experiments from the study of Seferos et al. (2007). The authors seek to replicate this influential work and complement this replication with additional controls and characterizations in order to elucidate the intracellular localization and function of the nano-flares, and to encourage open discussion of the aforementioned paradox. Two main questions will be addressed: 1) are the results of Seferos et al. (2007) reproducible? 2) What is the high proportion of nanoparticle-based probes escaping endosomes?
This study represents one of the first applications of pre-registration and formalized replication in the field of nanomedicine, an area where reporting standards are still emerging, often debated and not yet widely adopted. Moreover, statistical practices remain limited in this field. As such, this approach is novel and challenging, given the absence of established guidelines or consensus on how replication should be conducted in this context.
The Stage 1 manuscript was evaluated over two rounds of review. Based on the authors' revisions and detailed responses to the reviewers’ comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 1 criteria and awarded in-principle acceptance (IPA).
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/utpdh
Level of bias control achieved: Level 6. No part of the data or evidence that will be used to answer the research question yet exists and no part will be generated until after IPA.
List of eligible PCI-RR-friendly journals:
References
1. Seferos, D. F., Giljohann, D. A., Hill, H. D., Prigodich, A. E. & Mirkin, C. A. (2007). Nano-Flares: Probes for Transfection and mRNA Detection in Living Cells. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 129, 15477-15479. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja0776529
2. Said, M., Gharib, M. & Lévy R. (2025). Replication of “Nano-Flares: Probes for Transfection and mRNA Detection in Living Cells”. In principle acceptance of Version 4 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/utpdh
| Replication of “Nano-Flares: Probes for Transfection and mRNA Detection in Living Cells” | Maha Said, Mustafa Gharib, Raphaël Lévy | <p>In hundreds of articles published over the past two decades, nanoparticles have been described as probes for sensing and imaging of a variety of intracellular cytosolic targets. However, nanoparticles generally enter cells by endocytosis with o... | Life Sciences, Physical Sciences | Cecilia Menard-Moyon | 2024-11-29 15:12:46 | View | ||
09 Jun 2025
STAGE 1
![]() Mapping Psychology Students’ Conversations with a Large Language Model (LLM)-Powered Statistics ChatbotLeonardo Bergmann, Luis Britz, Benjamin Roth, Ulrich S. Tran https://osf.io/2bjtcLarge Language Models as Statistics SupportRecommended by Veli-Matti KarhulahtiLarge language models (LLMs) are being increasingly integrated into institutional settings in multiple different roles, arguably contributing to an ongoing transformation of cultural evolution (Brinkmann et al. 2023). Considering this change in academic institutions across disciplines and countries too, it is important to advance knowledge regarding their usage in such settings. Here, Bergmann and colleagues (2025) tackle this research gap with upcoming user data from psychology students (N=1450) who communicate with a statistics chatbot by OpenAI’s GPT-4o, StatsBot, as part of their studies.
The study design is built on a three-step mixed-method process, starting from deductive and inductive content analysis, and concluding with descriptive statistical analysis. The plan was shaped by a detailed pilot with similar StatsBot data (n=85) that enabled crafting a transparent plan for follow-up content analysis. Additional statistical explorations, such as those via network analyses, are promising and can yield valuable insights regarding the functions and utility of LLMs in learning processes. Comparative testing of LLMs and human analysis adds an informative meta-layer to the design. The Stage 1 manuscript was reviewed by four experts, including two from psychology, one from computer science, and one specialized in the technical aspects of LLMs. Two experts returned to provide feedback on the revisions over a second review round. The third revision of the protocol was considered to satisfy Stage 1 criteria and was therefore awarded in-principle acceptance (IPA). URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/v6bj2 Level of bias control achieved: Level 5. All of the data or evidence that will be used to answer the research question already exist, but are currently inaccessible to the authors and thus unobservable prior to IPA.
List of eligible PCI-RR-friendly journals:
| Mapping Psychology Students’ Conversations with a Large Language Model (LLM)-Powered Statistics Chatbot | Leonardo Bergmann, Luis Britz, Benjamin Roth, Ulrich S. Tran | <p>Large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT from OpenAI, have garnered substantial attention in recent years. These artificial intelligence (AI) tools are capable of performing a range of textual tasks and have been promoted to support resear... | Computer science, Social sciences | Veli-Matti Karhulahti | 2024-11-29 20:09:47 | View |
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