Changes to our instructions to authors

We would like to inform readers of two changes to our instructions to authors.

First, we are now encouraging submissions of triangulation articles [1-3]. Triangulation articles would report several studies that aim to answer the same research question using a variety of different methods or research designs. No single approach avoids all bias. Triangulation aims to combine evidence from multiple different methods or designs with different, but ideally uncorrelated, sources of bias. Insofar that results align, the evidence can be integrated and greater confidence can be placed in conclusions. Best practice would be for triangulation studies to be pre-registered, with different sources of evidence and interpretation specified in advance [3]. A good example of the approach is available here [4]. We recognise that it would be difficult for authors to write-up triangulation studies within our typical word limits for research reports and, therefore, recommend these articles are submitted as monographs, which can be up to 10 000 words.

Second, we have updated our guidance for authors submitting ‘Methods and Techniques’ articles. We now strongly encourage authors to share example code for applying their discussed methods in supplementary material or by linking to an appropriate repository (e.g. GitHub or OSF).