ISPOR Champions Research Transparency With Launch Of Open Science Badges
New Program for Value in Health Authors Promotes Trust Through Preregistration, Open Data, or Shared Materials
Lawrenceville, NJ, USA August 4, 2025—ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) today introduced an initiative to recognize transparency in research for papers published in Value in Health, its preeminent HEOR journal. By awarding and displaying Open Science Badges on select published articles, the program recognizes and rewards researchers who demonstrate transparency by preregistering their studies, openly sharing data, or making research materials publicly available.
The Open Science Badges—consisting of Preregistered, Open Data, and Open Materials badges—serve as visual indicators that published research meets high standards for transparency and reproducibility. These badges signal to readers that study preregistrations, associated data, and research materials are accessible in persistent, public repositories.
“We are delighted to launch the Open Science Badges for Value in Health,” said Editors-in-Chief Nancy J. Devlin, PhD, and C. Daniel Mullins, PhD. “These provide an additional means by which we can support and promote the work of authors who are committed to open science,” they said.
"Open science practices are fundamental to building trust in real-world research," added ISPOR CEO & Executive Director Rob Abbott. "By launching this badging initiative, ISPOR is taking a leadership role in promoting transparency and ensuring that healthcare decision makers who rely on our research have access to the highest quality, most trustworthy evidence possible."
Badge Requirements:
- Preregistered badge: Authors must demonstrate that their research design, study materials, research questions, outcome variables, and predictor variables were documented in a public, date-time stamped registration system prior to data examination.
- Open Data badge: Authors must make data available for reproducing reported results.
- Open Materials badge: Researchers must provide sufficient information for independent researchers to reproduce their methodology.
Starting immediately, authors submitting to Value in Health can apply for badges during the manuscript submission process. The journal will implement a disclosure-based review system where authors provide statements affirming, they meet badge criteria. The editorial team will conduct evaluations to confirm that author-provided links lead to publicly accessible preregistrations, data, or materials.
The program builds on ISPOR's existing commitment to transparency through its collaborative Real-World Evidence Registry, developed in partnership with the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology, the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, and the National Pharmaceutical Council. The registry encourages authors to preregister their study protocols before beginning work, facilitating transparency, and elevating trust in study results.
"Transparency in research isn't just about meeting academic standards—it's about ensuring that the evidence we publish can be trusted, validated, and built upon by the global health economics community," said Abbott. "These badges represent a meaningful step forward in our commitment to research excellence and our mission of improving healthcare decisions."
The ISPOR badges program aligns with the Center for Open Science's widely adopted standards, joining more than 100 journals worldwide that offer Open Science Badges to recognize transparent research practices. ISPOR's implementation includes specific considerations for real-world evidence studies and pharmacoeconomic research.