A New Look at Open Science Principles and Practices in Gambling Studies

Session Title

Research Methodology & Open Science

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation

Start Date

26-5-2026 12:00 AM

Abstract

Researchers around the world have begun adopting open science research practices to improve scientific rigor, increase transparency, and mitigate the harmful effects of research strategies focused solely on publishing statistically significant novel effects. Such efforts include strategies like research pre-registration, registered reports, and open data. These practices increase the replicability of published papers, bolster confidence in published research, and accelerate scientific research by providing easy access to the resources needed for assessing the reproducibility of findings and testing new original research questions. This presentation will provide a fresh look at this issue by discussing recent research about open science practices in published gambling studies, descriptions of gambling stakeholders' use and views of open science, including new findings about how they have changed over time, scoping reviews of open science practices in published papers, and new examinations of researchers’ adherence to registered planned methods and analyses. Although such practices currently are limited in gambling research, evidence suggests several areas of promise, including open science uptake and recognition of the importance of research replicability. Without a turn toward open science, gambling research risks the follies of related fields, including poor replicability of published research findings.

Author Bios

Debi A. LaPlante is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Division on Addiction. Dr. LaPlante joined the Division on Addiction in 2001, after earning her PhD in Social Psychological from Harvard University. She became Director of the Division in 2019. Her research interests include understanding addiction in at-risk populations, the prevention of risky addictive behavior, and advancing open science research principles and practices.

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May 26th, 12:00 AM

A New Look at Open Science Principles and Practices in Gambling Studies

Researchers around the world have begun adopting open science research practices to improve scientific rigor, increase transparency, and mitigate the harmful effects of research strategies focused solely on publishing statistically significant novel effects. Such efforts include strategies like research pre-registration, registered reports, and open data. These practices increase the replicability of published papers, bolster confidence in published research, and accelerate scientific research by providing easy access to the resources needed for assessing the reproducibility of findings and testing new original research questions. This presentation will provide a fresh look at this issue by discussing recent research about open science practices in published gambling studies, descriptions of gambling stakeholders' use and views of open science, including new findings about how they have changed over time, scoping reviews of open science practices in published papers, and new examinations of researchers’ adherence to registered planned methods and analyses. Although such practices currently are limited in gambling research, evidence suggests several areas of promise, including open science uptake and recognition of the importance of research replicability. Without a turn toward open science, gambling research risks the follies of related fields, including poor replicability of published research findings.