Special Issue on Registered Reports of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

This special issue examines the application of open-science practices—particularly registered reports—to systematic reviews and meta-analyses in special education and synthesizes evidence for three widely used classroom interventions for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD): self-determination interventions, time-out, and token economies. The issue was motivated by gaps identified in prior mega-reviews and a broader concern about publication bias and methodological opacity in the review literature. Collectively, the papers highlight persistent methodological and reporting limitations and argue that broader adoption of open-science practices is essential to reduce bias, enhance replicability, and better inform equitable, scalable practices for students with EBD. Finally, in a concluding commentary, experts discuss the potential benefits and challenges of publishing systematic reviews as registered reports and offer practical recommendations.