Over the past decades, the translation and interpreting studies (TIS) publication ecosystem has evolved continually, reflecting the growing institutionalization of the discipline (Gile 2012, Gambier 2018). The TIS publication ecosystem has certainly become more professional and adopted features that characterize the ecosystems of disciplines with longer-standing traditions. But to develop a healthy environment where research with high evidential value can thrive and is encouraged, TIS does not only need to adopt established practices; it must engage in the challenge and active reformation of detrimental practices. In this paper, we explore how embedding the open science principles of transparency, reproducibility and accountability at the very core of the publication system-in journals’ policies, ‘about’ sections, mission statements and standards for methods/analysis sections-can boost the rigour of TIS research. To this end, we build on influential calls for methodological change in TIS (Liu 2011, Balling/Hvelplund 2015, Orero et al. 2018) and draw on a selection of journal guidelines from other fields and the recent open-science driven reform in the (social) sciences (Chambers 2017/2019, Christensen et al. 2019, Ritchie 2020). The initial output of our exploration, presented here, is a concise checklist of key principles to equip journals and their editors with useful recommendations and resources. The quest for improving research practices in TIS will allow the field to consolidate its credibility in an increasingly interdisciplinary research ecosystem. We argue the critical review and standardisation of the TIS publication ecosystem will address pressing ethical concerns and improve the quality of research.