Psychology, open to everyone? The PLan Psy Project

Science should be open - not only to scientists! The goal of the "PLan Psy" project which was carried out at Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) from 2021 to 2022 was to initialize an accessible and high-quality information service on psychological research for the German-speaking public. For this purpose, an evidence-based guideline for writing plain language summaries (PLS) of psychological meta-analyses was developed. The guideline is based on a systematic review, four experimental studies and one qualitative study, and was evaluated in two expert workshops. Starting in 2023, a freely accessible information service for the public will be established at ZPID on the basis of the project outputs, the core product of which will be PLS of psychological meta-analyses. However, open science communication should not be a one-way street: The PLS are complemented by attractive explanatory videos and community-based opportunities for participation (“crowd science”). This means that the service is not limited to providing information with the aim of public understanding (of science). As it is supplemented by a wide range of opportunities for participation and interaction, it enables genuine public engagement (in science).The service fully commits to the open science idea: It not only acts as a "door opener" for non-experts interested in psychological evidence, but also opens psychology as a science to the questions, concerns and ideas of the general public.