The Transparency and Openness Promotion Guidelines (TOP) is a policy framework for advancing open science practices. Specifically, TOP includes practices that are intended to increase the verifiability of empirical research claims.
Updated in 2025, TOP includes seven Research Practices, two Verification Practices, and five Verification Study types. These components provide recommendations for both researchers and policymakers. Researchers can look to TOP for recommended steps they could take to improve the verifiability of their claims. Policymakers at journals, publishers, funders, and institutions can look to TOP for recommended language and actions for advancing research. Journals select which of the seven TOP Research Practices transparency standards they wish to implement and select a level of implementation for each. These features provide flexibility for adoption depending on disciplinary variation, but simultaneously establish community standards. TOP 2015 (OA) included eight policy recommendations and was updated to reflect feedback from journal implementers.
Research Practices: Study Registration | Study Protocol | Analysis Plan | Materials Transparency | Analysis Code Transparency | Data Transparency | Reporting Transparency
Levels: Disclose, Share and Cite, or Certify
Verification Practices: Results Transparency | Computational Transparency
Verification Studies: Replication | Registered Reports | Multiverse | Many Analysts
TOP Factor was project by COS to evaluate journal policies based on the original TOP 2015 framework. Over 3,000 journals policies were scored based on the evaluation rubric and the data is available for download. There are no current plans to update TOP Factor to 2025 but are leaving up the original interface as a useful tool to search policies from different disciplines.
With over 5,000 signatories, the TOP Guidelines are a widely used tool for implementing open science practices.
Journal signatories have expressed their support of the principles of openness, transparency, and reproducibility, expressing interest in the guidelines and commit to conducting a review within a year of the standards and levels of adoption.
Organization signatories have expressed their support of the principles of openness, transparency, and reproducibility and encouraging associated journals to conduct a review of the standards and levels of adoption.
As of 2020, we are no longer adding signatories to this list as we focus on implementation of the policies covered in TOP and evaluate journal practices through TOP Factor.
For inquiries, please contact David Mellor or email top@cos.io.
| Not Implemented | Level I | Level II | Level III | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citation Standards | No mention of data citation. | Journal describes citation of data in guidelines to authors with clear rules and examples. | Article provides appropriate citation for data and materials used consistent with journal's author guidelines. | Article is not published until providing appropriate citation for data and materials following journal's author guidelines. |
| Data Transparency | Journal encourages data sharing, or says nothing. | Article states whether data are available, and, if so, where to access them. | Data must be posted to a trusted repository. Exceptions must be identified at article submission. | Data must be posted to a trusted repository, and reported analyses will be reproduced independently prior to publication. |
| Analytic Methods (Code) Transparency | Journal encourages code sharing, or says nothing. | Article states whether code is available, and, if so, where to access it. | Code must be posted to a trusted repository. Exceptions must be identified at article submission. | Code must be posted to a trusted repository, and reported analyses will be reproduced independently prior to publication. |
| Research Materials Transparency | Journal encourages materials sharing, or says nothing. | Article states whether materials are available, and, if so, where to access them. | Materials must be posted to a trusted repository. Exceptions must be identified at article submission. | Materials must be posted to a trusted repository, and reported analyses will be reproduced independently prior to publication. |
| Design and Analysis Transparency | Journal encourages design and analysis transparency, or says nothing. | Journal articulates design transparency standards. | Journal requires adherence to design transparency standards for review and publication. | Journal requires and enforces adherence to design transparency standards for review and publication. |
| Study Preregistration | Journal says nothing. | Article states whether preregistration of study exists, and, if so, where to access it. | Article states whether preregistration of study exists, and, if so, allows journal access during peer review for verification. | Journal requires preregistration of studies and provides link and badge in article to meeting requirements. |
| Analysis Plan Preregistration | Journal says nothing. | Article states whether preregistration of study exists, and, if so, where to access it. | Article states whether preregistration with analysis plan exists, and, if so, allows journal access during peer review for verification. | Journal requires preregistration of studies with analysis plans and provides link and badge in article to meeting requirements. |
| Replication | Journal discourages submission of replication studies, or says nothing. | Journal encourages submission of replication studies. | Journal encourages submission of replication studies and conducts results blind review. | Journal uses Registered Reports as a submission option for replication studies with peer review prior to observing the study outcomes. |
Read the complete TOP Guidelines PDF or wiki
Download the summary table for journals or funders.
For inquiries, please contact David Mellor or email top@cos.io.
Thousands of journals have implemented one or more of the TOP Guidelines. See TOP Factor for a comprehensive list and find examples in your discipline. Below are a few exemplars.
Funders are also implementing open science policies around preregistration and Registered Reports, open data and materials, and preprints or open access.
With over 5,000 signatories, the TOP Guidelines are a widely used tool for implementing open science practices.
Journal signatories have expressed their support of the principles of openness, transparency, and reproducibility, expressing interest in the guidelines and commit to conducting a review within a year of the standards and levels of adoption.
Organization signatories have expressed their support of the principles of openness, transparency, and reproducibility and encouraging associated journals to conduct a review of the standards and levels of adoption.
Please note that as of the end of 2020, we are no longer adding signatories to this list. If you are interested in implementing TOP, please see the corresponding tab on this page, as well as TOP Factor.
For inquiries, please contact David Mellor or email top@cos.io.
The TOP Guidelines are a community-driven and evolving effort, changing to meet the needs of the community while pursuing the most transparent practices. The TOP Advisory Board is charged with the ongoing maintenance and outreach for the Guidelines. It encourages adoption and implementation of the Guidelines through education, communication, and outreach. The Board will evaluate adoption and effectiveness of the Guidelines and use this information, along with feedback from the stakeholder community, to improve them. Bylaws for the Advisory Board can be found here.
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