Planning your research project

In the planning phase you will identify and develop your research questions, and may conduct related tasks including literature reviews, formulating research hypotheses or considering design methodologies.

Open Research practice	Links to resources	Alignment with FAIR
Engaging with pre-registered studies and protocols allows early insight into research plans and methodology, reducing duplication of efforts and eliminating HARKing (Hypothesizing After the Results are Known)	UKRI Preregistration animation (3 minutes) and video (9 minutes) Open Science Framework: Preregistration UKRN Primer: Pre-registration and Registered Reports PROSPERO (systematic review protocols)	Findable & Accessible
Using existing open datasets can inspire new research questions and applications. Examining data trends and patterns can guide the development of focused research plans and hypotheses	UK Data Service: new to using data UKRN Data sharing video (20 minutes)	Accessible & Reusable
Open peer review practices can encourage early feedback on research proposals, potentially improving the quality and focus of the planned project. It creates trust in the review process, and gives credit to reviewers	FOSTER course: Open Peer Review (click to ‘Access as a guest’)	Findable

Next section: Securing funding and building your research team