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The Importance of Publishing Negative Results

P. Weintraub

Published 2016 in Journal of Insect Science

ABSTRACT

In a previous Editorial (Weintraub 2015), I stated that the Journal of Insect Science would accept well-supported manuscripts with negative data. I feel that the publication of negative results is important, in fact, imperative, as I’ve outlined below. 1. Scientific thinking is not always open minded and without bias; accepted theories can be hard to overthrow—and I am referring here to scientists, not the general public. Publishing only selective information, i.e. positive results, does not allow one to visualize/understand the whole of the situation. However, by publishing negative data or results that contradict the establish way of thinking, we may more quickly come to a new understanding of the situation, whatever it may be. 2. Negative results are important for the broader field where they are relevant, helping to interpret positive results that may have been obtained in related studies. 3. If negative results are not reported, a nonproductive or flawed concept may continue to receive support from agencies, diverting funding from potentially more fruitful endeavors. How much funding has gone into supporting an idea that looks good on paper but does not come to fruition? And, how many times has this been repeated by funding agencies in different countries around the world? If the initial failure had been reported, the granting agencies could channel that money into other projects. 4. The reporting of negative results can help other scientists adjust their research plans and increase their chances of success. Once an idea has been developed and a team has moved to actually performing the research, they will work in the most logical fashion; A to B, B to C, validating each step. At this point there is no reason to “think outside the box”. When …

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