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arXiv · 2302.10086

A Two-Sided Discussion of Preregistration of NLP Research

Anders Søgaard·Daniel Hershcovich·Miryam de Lhoneux
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Abstract

Van Miltenburg et al. (2021) suggest NLP research should adopt preregistration to prevent fishing expeditions and to promote publication of negative results. At face value, this is a very reasonable suggestion, seemingly solving many methodological problems with NLP research. We discuss pros and cons -- some old, some new: a) Preregistration is challenged by the practice of retrieving hypotheses after the results are known; b) preregistration may bias NLP toward confirmatory research; c) preregistration must allow for reclassification of research as exploratory; d) preregistration may increase publication bias; e) preregistration may increase flag-planting; f) preregistration may increase p-hacking; and finally, g) preregistration may make us less risk tolerant. We cast our discussion as a dialogue, presenting both sides of the debate.

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Anders Søgaard, Daniel Hershcovich, Miryam de Lhoneux. 2023-02-20. A Two-Sided Discussion of Preregistration of NLP Research. https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.10086

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