preregistering-analysis
Use before running any confirmatory analysis or looking at outcome data, when testing a hypothesis, computing a p-value, or about to claim an effect - locks predictions and decision rules before results are seen
npx skills add K-Dense-AI/science-superpowers --skill preregistering-analysis --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Pre-Registering the Analysis ## Overview Write down the hypotheses, the exact analysis, the directional predictions, and the decision rules — and freeze them — *before* you look at the outcomes. Then run exactly that. **Core principle:** If you decided the analysis after seeing the data, you cannot tell whether the data shaped the answer. A prediction is only evidence if it was made before the result. **Violating the letter of this rule is violating the spirit of this rule.** This is the pre-registration discipline — the science analog of test-driven development. In TDD you write the test before the code so you know the test tests something. Here you write the prediction before the result so you know the result confirms something. ## The Iron Law ``` NO CONFIRMATORY CLAIM WITHOUT A PRE-REGISTERED PREDICTION FIRST ``` Looked at the outcomes before locking the analysis? That analysis is now **exploratory**. You cannot relabel it confirmatory. To make a confirmatory claim, pre-register and test on data you have not yet used. **No exceptions:** - Don't "lightly" reorder the analysis after a peek - Don't add the covariate that "obviously" should be there once you saw the result - Don'
- Overview
- The Iron Law
- When to Use
- Lock — Execute — Separate
- LOCK — Write the prediction before the result
- Verify it is falsifiable — the "watch it fail" step
- FREEZE — Make the timestamp real
- EXECUTE — Run exactly what you registered
- SEPARATE — Confirmatory vs. exploratory, always distinguishable
- Pre-Registration Template
- Why Order Matters
- Common Rationalizations
- Red Flags - STOP and Re-frame
- Statistical Fallacies Reference
What does the preregistering-analysis skill do?
Use before running any confirmatory analysis or looking at outcome data, when testing a hypothesis, computing a p-value, or about to claim an effect - locks predictions and decision rules before results are seen
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add K-Dense-AI/science-superpowers --skill preregistering-analysis --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From K-Dense-AI/science-superpowers, a repository with 280 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.