Working Groups and Projects

Pilot Practices Assessment Group

Examines current pilot study practices to inform future task force initiatives

1. Survey on Piloting Practices in Psychology (completed)
This project investigated how psychological researchers design and conduct pilot studies, as well as their perceptions of the value, challenges, and feasibility of transparently reporting pilot studies in publications. You can find the final report here.
Leads: Isaac Handley-Miner, Jade Pickering, & Johanna Tomczak

2. Taxonomy of Piloting Practices in Psychology (upcoming)
This project will compile and categorize existing piloting approaches across psychological subfields to build an open, accessible resource bank.
Leads: TBA

Pilot Reporting Assessment Group

Determines the reporting baseline by evaluating how pilot studies are currently reported in published research

1. Meta-Assessment of Pilot Study Reporting in Psychology (ongoing)
This project investigates the frequency and quality of pilot study reporting in recent psychological research. We will be recruiting contributors for article coding during summer–fall 2025. If you’re interested in getting involved, please contact Agata or reach out to our task force team for more information.
Leads: Agata Bochynska

Reporting Mechanism Development Team

Develops tools and templates for pilot study reporting and evaluation

1. Standalone and Manuscript Companion Templates (ongoing)
This project began with two collaborative hackathons at SIPS 2024. Following these events, we produced a draft standalone pilot-reporting template as well as a manuscript companion template. Initial user testing was carried out during SIPS 2025, and we anticipate finalizing the timeline for public release in early 2026.
Leads: Mary Beth Neff

Outreach Team

Promotes transparent pilot study practices through scholarly dissemination and partnership initiatives

1. Stage 1: Scholarly Dissemination (ongoing)
This project focuses on communicating best practices for pilot study reporting through academic outlets (e.g., conferences, blogs, and journal articles). See the Events and Outputs pages for more up-to-date details.
Leads: Isaac Handley-Miner & Yashvin Seetahul

2. Stage 2: Strategic Collaborations (upcoming)
This project will involve partnering with online repositories and academic publishers to develop targeted implementation and adoption strategies.
Leads: TBA

Past Sponsors