Should negative results be published?

If a study’s methodology is valid, it is important to publish all of the results, including negative ones. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors stated that researchers should publish negative data in order to prevent publication bias and potential waste of time and money because of duplication.

Why are null results not published?

With limited resources and space, journals prefer to publish positive findings and select only the most important null findings. Many researchers aren’t keen to publish null findings because the effort required to do so may not ultimately be rewarded by acceptance of the research into a scientific journal.

Is there such a thing as a negative result in research?

Q: What are negative results in scientific research? Negative results are results that do not support the hypothesis and nullify the aim of the research. Negative results or null results as they are sometimes called, are also important and they contribute to our knowledge of the topic as much as positive results do.

Why might someone publish biased information?

It occurs when the outcome of an experiment or research study influences the decision whether to publish or otherwise distribute it. Publishing only results that show a significant finding disturbs the balance of findings, and inserts bias in favor of positive results.

Why is it important to report non or negative events?

Reporting negative results also prevents other scientists from making the same mistake. Moreover, it saves time and efforts. For instance, once a researcher spent six months trying to synthesize an analog of a compound reported in the literature.

What problems does publication bias cause?

Where publication bias is present, published studies are no longer a representative sample of the available evidence. This bias distorts the results of meta-analyses and systematic reviews. For example, evidence-based medicine is increasingly reliant on meta-analysis to assess evidence.

How is publication bias avoided?

Publication bias may be reduced by journals by publishing high-quality studies regardless of novelty or unexciting results, and by publishing protocols or full-study data sets.

Why is it important for studies with null results to be published?

Researchers who report null results can help to steer grant money towards more fruitful studies. Replications are also invaluable for establishing what is necessary for reliable measurements, such as fundamental constants.

How do you present negative results?

Explain everything you did, including what you were hoping to find. Then discuss what actually happened, and how future researchers might want to follow up on your findings. I would not say that it is a bad outcome, although I understand that you may be disappointed by the results.

Why is publication bias a problem?

Publication bias generally leads to the dissemination of positive results that support the study hypothesis. Publication bias therefore undermines the validity of SRs and reduces confidence in evidence obtained from RCTs.

How much of published research is wrong?

, and is free of bias, there is still a 36\% probability that a paper reporting a positive result will be incorrect; if the base probability of a true result is lower, then this will push the PPV lower too.