Negativity towards negative results: a discussion of the disconnect between scientific worth and scientific culture

ABSTRACT Science is often romanticised as a flawless system of knowledge building, where scientists work together to systematically find answers. In reality, this is not always the case. Dissemination of results are straightforward when the findings are positive, but what happens when you obtain results that support the null hypothesis, or do not fit with the current scientific thinking? In this Editorial, we discuss the issues surrounding publication bias and the difficulty in communicating negative results. Negative findings are a valuable component of the scientific literature because they force us to critically evaluate and validate our current thinking, and fundamentally move us towards unabridged science.

• Publication year

  2014

• Venue

  Disease Models & Mechanisms

• Publication date

  2014-02-01

• Fields of study

  Sociology, Medicine, Psychology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1242/dmm.015123PMID 24713271PMCID 3917235
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 binding and protein expression in schizophrenia and following antipsychotic drug treatment.

  2013cited by this paper
• Negative results are published

  2011influential reference
• Anthropology: follow field primatologists

  2011cited by this paper
• Density of metabotropic glutamate receptors 2 and 3 (mGluR2/3) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex does not differ with schizophrenia diagnosis but decreases with age.

  2011cited by this paper
• Negative results are disappearing from most disciplines and countries

  2011cited by this paper
• Do Pressures to Publish Increase Scientists' Bias? An Empirical Support from US States Data

  2010influential reference
• Type I and Type II error concerns in fMRI research: re-balancing the scale.

  2009influential reference
• Vaccines and autism: a tale of shifting hypotheses.

  2009cited by this paper
• The psychology of system justification and the palliative function of ideology

  2002cited by this paper
• Publication Bias: The “File-Drawer” Problem in Scientific Inference

  2000cited by this paper
• Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children.

  1998cited by this paper
• Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children.

  1998cited by this paper
• Fas ligand expression in islets of Langerhans does not confer immune privilege and instead targets them for rapid destruction

  1997cited by this paper
• Transgenic expression of CD95 ligand on islet beta cells induces a granulocytic infiltration but does not confer immune privilege upon islet allografts.

  1997cited by this paper
• Immunology. Ways around rejection.

  1995cited by this paper
• Ways around rejection

  1995cited by this paper
• A role for CD95 ligand in preventing graft rejection

  1995cited by this paper
• Dobutamine: a new inotropic agent.

  1980cited by this paper
• Hemodynamic assessment of amrinone. A new inotropic agent.

  1978influential reference
• The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

  1964cited by this paper

• A multivocal literature review on the benefits and limitations of industry-leading AutoML tools

  2025cites this paper
• International academics’ institutional integration and social adaptation among different local language competence groups in Japan

  2025cites this paper
• Transcriptomic classifiers do not reliably predict lymph node involvement in breast Cancer: Insights from three large cohorts.

  2025cites this paper
• Opening open science to all: demystifying reproducibility and transparency practices in linguistic research

  2025cites this paper
• It‘s Complicated: Why Are There So Few Commercially Successful Crop Varieties Engineered for Disease Resistance?

  2025cites this paper
• Travelling through time with Disease Models & Mechanisms

  2025cites this paper
• Reproducibility in Transportation Research: Importance, Best Practices, and Dealing with Protected and Sensitive Data

  2025cites this paper
• Negative Results in Neonatal Trials: Clinical Lessons and Future Directions – A Narrative Review

  2025cites this paper
• Advances in Cerebellar TMS Therapy: An Updated Systematic Review on Multi-Session Interventions

  2025cites this paper
• Cerebellar Neurostimulation for Boosting Social and Affective Functions: Implications for the Rehabilitation of Hereditary Ataxia Patients

  2024cites this paper
• Exploring the scientific impact of negative results

  2024cites this paper
• Effects of Arnica Phytotherapeutic and Homeopathic Formulations on Traumatic Injuries and Inflammatory Conditions: A Systematic Review

  2024cites this paper
• Construction of a Calibration Curve for Lycopene on a Liquid-Handling Platform—Wider Lessons for the Development of Automated Dilution Protocols

  2024cites this paper
• THE PROBLEM OF “NORM” IN MODERN MEDICINE – TRENDS OF INDIVIDUAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE HUMAN ORGANISM AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES OF RESEARCH IN THE CONTEXT OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

  2024cites this paper
• RDF Surfaces: Enabling Classical Negation on the Semantic Web

  2024cites this paper
• Thriving in the modern scientific world: perspectives from early career electrochemists

  2024cites this paper
• Navigating the Science System: Research Integrity and Academic Survival Strategies

  2024cites this paper
• Hazards of current concentration-setting practices in environmental toxicology studies

  2023cites this paper
• Arboviruses in Mammals in the Neotropics: A Systematic Review to Strengthen Epidemiological Monitoring Strategies and Conservation Medicine

  2023cites this paper
• Modern Solution of Inductive Charging System for 800 V Batteries of Electric Vehicles

  2023cites this paper
• Editorial: Be positive about the negative in pharmacology: Neuropharmacology 2022

  2023cites this paper
• Cross-contamination rate of reusable flexible bronchoscopes: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

  2023cites this paper
• Let’s Give Together: Can Collaborative Giving Boost Generosity?

  2022cites this paper
• Mobile health evaluation: Taxonomy development and cluster analysis

  2022cites this paper
• Dissimulate or disseminate? A survey on the fate of negative results

  2022cites this paper
• Negative effects of gamification in education software: Systematic mapping and practitioner perceptions

  2022cites this paper
• Assessment of the Brazilian postgraduate evaluation system

  2022cites this paper
• The Chance of Freezing – Parameterizing temperature dependent freezing including randomness of INP concentrations

  2022cites this paper
• Not everything is changing: on the relative neglect and meanings of continuity in communication and social change research

  2022cites this paper
• Perspectives on Negative Research Results in Pervasive Computing

  2022cites this paper
• Scientific research article – How to write and get it published?

  2022cites this paper
• Estimating Biomass and Vitality of Microalgae for Monitoring Cultures: A Roadmap for Reliable Measurements

  2022cites this paper
• Digitization and validation of a chemical synthesis literature database in the ChemPU

  2022cites this paper
• A Review on the Role of Affective Stimuli in Event-Related Frontal Alpha Asymmetry

  2022cites this paper
• Are We Sure We Fully Understand What an Infodemic Is? A Global Perspective on Infodemiological Problems

  2022cites this paper
• Evaluating the predictive accuracy of curated biological pathways in a public knowledgebase

  2022cites this paper
• Association of chemotactic cytokine receptor 5 (CCR5) gene polymorphism (59029 A/G, rs1799987) with diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes from Poland.

  2022cites this paper
• Why Should We Publish Papers?

  2021cites this paper
• Fit-for-Purpose Biometric Monitoring Technologies ( BioMeT ) : Leveraging the Laboratory Biomarker Experience Running title : Comparing BioMeTs with laboratory biomarkers

  2021cites this paper
• A New Method for Solid Acid Catalyst Evaluation for Cellulose Hydrolysis

  2021cites this paper
• The Shape of Science

  2021cites this paper
• No clear trends in expatriation of non-human primate research from -Switzerland between 2004 and 2017.

  2021cites this paper
• Climate adaptation interventions for iconic fauna

  2021cites this paper
• EVIDENCE Publication Checklist for Studies Evaluating Connected Sensor Technologies: Explanation and Elaboration

  2021cites this paper
• Group-level cortical functional connectivity patterns using fNIRS: assessing the effect of bilingualism in young infants

  2021cites this paper
• Invisible science: publication of negative research results

  2021cites this paper
• Transparency and replication in alcohol research

  2021cites this paper
• Mortality benefit of crystalloids administered in 1–6 hours in septic adults in the ED: systematic review with narrative synthesis

  2021cites this paper
• The Role of Financial Fragility and Financial Control for Well-Being

  2021cites this paper
• Advances in Electron Microscopy with Deep Learning

  2021cites this paper
• Game Over? No Main or Subgroup Effects of the Good Behavior Game in a Randomized Trial in English Primary Schools

  2020cites this paper
• Latitudinal consistency of biomass size spectra - benthic resilience despite environmental, taxonomic and functional trait variability

  2020cites this paper
• Evaluation of the uses and influences of researches on prevention and control of anemia in children

  2020cites this paper
• Using BERT for the Detection of Architectural Tactics in Code

  2020cites this paper
• Neurogenetics, Genome-Wide Association and Candidate Gene Studies

  2020cites this paper
• Fit‐for‐Purpose Biometric Monitoring Technologies: Leveraging the Laboratory Biomarker Experience

  2020cites this paper
• Sinonasal mucosal vasculature in yellow nail syndrome and chronic rhinosinusitis with or without polyps

  2020cites this paper
• Character Strengths Involving an Orientation to Promote Good Can Help Your Health and Well-Being. Evidence From two Longitudinal Studies

  2020cites this paper
• Food, Food Substitutes and Food Supplements

  2020cites this paper
• Stress Pathway Modulation Is Detrimental or Ineffective for Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury in Mice

  2020cites this paper
• Association of single nucleotide polymorphism (rs741301) of the ELMO1 gene with diabetic kidney disease in Polish patients with type 2 diabetes: a pilot study.

  2020cites this paper
• Establishing or Exaggerating Causality for the Gut Microbiome: Lessons from Human Microbiota-Associated Rodents.

  2020cites this paper
• The role of early intravenous crystalloid bolus in adult sepsis resuscitation in the emergency department

  2020cites this paper
• True Negatives

  2020cites this paper
• Researcher's Perceptions on Publishing “Negative” Results and Open Access

  2020cites this paper
• Wolf habitat selection when sympatric or allopatric with brown bears in Scandinavia

  2020cites this paper
• Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme Inhibitor Prescription for Patients With Single Ventricle Physiology Enrolled in the NPC‐QIC Registry

  2020cites this paper
• Olive oil consumption and its repercussions on lipid metabolism.

  2020cites this paper
• Envisioning the scientific paper of the future

  2020cites this paper
• Probability of Publication Bias in Published Articles Resulting from Dental Dissertations of Medical Sciences Universities in Iran

  2019cites this paper
• Peer Support Services for Bereaved Survivors: A Systematic Review

  2019cites this paper
• Accelerated Growth of Cellular Therapy Trials in Musculoskeletal Disorders: An Analysis of the NIH Clinical Trials Data Bank.

  2019cites this paper
• In quest of new document relations: evaluating co-opinion relations between co-citations and its impact on Information retrieval effectiveness

  2019cites this paper
• Erroneous inference based on a lack of preference within one group: autism, mice, and the Social Approach Task

  2019cites this paper
• HARK Side of Deep Learning - From Grad Student Descent to Automated Machine Learning

  2019cites this paper
• The Principles of Biomedical Scientific Writing: Results

  2019cites this paper
• Experiment Replication: A Proposed Solution for Developing Psychological Research in Indonesia

  2019cites this paper
• Hip Arthroscopy of a Painful Hip with Borderline Dysplasia

  2019cites this paper
• Worker’s well-being. Evidence from the apparel industry in Mexico

  2019cites this paper
• The necessity for sustainable intervention effects: lessons-learned from an experience sampling intervention for spousal carers of people with dementia

  2019cites this paper
• Next of kin’s quality of life before and after implementation of a knowledge-based palliative care intervention in nursing homes

  2019cites this paper
• The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language August 2019 – Volume 24 , Number 2 Investigating the Relationship Between Cultural Dimensions of Learning and English Language Proficiency

  2019cites this paper
• Assessment of frequency and reporting of design changes among clinical drug trials published in influential medical journals.

  2019cites this paper
• Is positive publication bias really a bias, or an intentionally created discrimination toward negative results?

  2019cites this paper
• Investigating Semantic Properties of Images Generated from Natural Language Using Neural Networks

  2019cites this paper
• A Lesson in Failure: When Innovation in Post-Intensive Care Unit Management Yields Negative Results.

  2019cites this paper
• A Review on Blockchain Technology and Blockchain Projects Fostering Open Science

  2019cites this paper
• Be positive about negatives-recommendations for the publication of negative (or null) results.

  2019cites this paper
• Towards a pattern language for the masters student

  2019cites this paper
• Strengthening Participation Using Interactive Planning Support Systems: A Systematic Review

  2019cites this paper
• The Right to Fail [From the Editor's Desk]

  2019cites this paper
• Developing Humanoid Robots for Applications in Real-World Scenarios [From the Guest Editors]

  2019cites this paper
• Planning Support Systems: A Systematic Review

  2019cites this paper
• Turning negative into positives! Exploiting ‘negative’ results in Brain–Machine Interface (BMI) research

  2019cites this paper
• Can social and emotional learning improve children’s academic progress? Findings from a randomised controlled trial of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum

  2019cites this paper
• Emotion-regulation strategies in older people: a systematic review

  2019cites this paper
• Avaliação dos usos e influências de pesquisas sobre prevenção e controle da anemia em crianças

  2019cites this paper
• A Collective Assessment on Data Manipulation in Research Science

  2019cites this paper
• fiddle: a tool to combat publication bias by getting research out of the file drawer and into the scientific community

  2019cites this paper
• Bibliography

  2019cites this paper