Preregistration of Preclinical Animal Studies as a Tool for Refinement: A Feasibility Study Comparing the German Animal Study Registry and Preclinicaltrials.eu

Preregistration of animal studies is increasingly promoted as a methodological Refinement that can reduce bias, prevent unnecessary duplication and ultimately benefit animal welfare. Despite dedicated open registries (i.e., the Animal Study Registry of the German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (ASR) and preclinicaltrials.eu (PCT)), uptake remains low. The perceived time burden and limited awareness are the most frequently mentioned barriers, although these registries have been available since 2018 and 2019. In this feasibility study, eleven researchers (Beginners n = 3, Trainees n = 3, Experts n = 5) preregistered two preclinical protocols (rat and pig) on each platform, while completion time, mouse clicks, cursor distance, and scroll events were registered. An anonymous survey collected free-text comments. Completion time was substantially longer on ASR than on PCT for both the rat protocol (99.5 ± 29.1 vs. 39.5 ± 4.9 min) and the pig protocol (53.1 ± 17.2 vs. 25.8 ± 8.5 min), with the same direction for the other parameters. All eleven participants preferred PCT, and completion time decreased with practice. Preregistration is technically feasible on either platform. However, structured training and targeted usability improvements could reduce the activation cost and support its role as a Refinement strategy in laboratory animal science.