Australian psychologist Mark Rubin (2017) likened the unethical practice of HARKing to the tale of the Texas sharpshooter. Rubin explains that the sharpshooter “aims and fires his gun at [a] target on a barn wall but misses. He then walks up to the wall, rubs out the initial target, and draws a second target around his bullet hole in order to make it appear as if he is a good shot” (p. 309).

a. Why is this a good analogy for HARKing in research?

b. How could preregistration help with the problem of HARKing in research?