Custom Templates

Custom registration templates better fits your community's set of standards and establishes the level of rigor. Select a topic below to learn more.

• The Process
• Drafting a template
  • Metadata
• Getting the template onto the registry

The Process

Several steps must be taken to get a custom template from a document to the registry, as summarized by the image below. Each step is important to ensure a rigorous, apt template is available to the community and that it's presented in a way that's expected and for researchers to answer. The amount of time it takes can vary from weeks to months, depending on the number of edits are needed and people to approve it. Don't worry, we are here to walk you through each step of the way.

Drafting a template

Drafting a template is as easy as starting a Word or Google doc. In fact, here's a Google doc template to help you get started. Simply duplicate the document and follow the instructions to get started.

You may also start your own document, but there are a few pieces of information we must have including:

•  Any questions you want to ask
• Some indication of what type of input you want researchers to enter (learn more)
• Which questions are required

Metadata

The OSF has a standard metadata page used across all of the OSF and includes the information listed below. If you want to collect more metadata, feel free to add it as a question in  your template or moderators can add it as a piece of custom metadata.

• Title
• Description
• Contributors
• License
• Category
• Discipline
• Tags

Getting the template onto the registry

Once you drafted your template, an OSF representative will review it for completion and accuracy, and ask any clarifying questions as they enter it into the system. The template will be placed on a test server for your review and finalization before it's made publicly available on the registry.