Pre-registration Does Not Reduce False-Positive Rates: A Simulation Study

Dear Dr. Park, Thank you for submitting your manuscript. After careful review, we regret to inform you that we cannot accept it for publication. The reviewer identified a fundamental issue with the simulation design: the model assumes researchers observe the p-value before deciding to pre-register, which reverses the causal logic of the intervention being studied. Under the correct temporal assumption, your own simulation predicts a 55% reduction — consistent with the literature you contest. We encourage you to revise the simulation design and resubmit to another venue. We wish you well with your research. Best regards, The Editors