Negativity towards negative results: a discussion of the disconnect between scientific worth and scientific culture.
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.
Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
Natalie
N
Matosin
Elisabeth
E
Frank
Martin
M
Engel
Jeremy S
JS
Lum
Kelly A
KA
Newell
D001290:Attitude; D006801:Humans; D015279:Organizational Culture; D011570:Psychiatry; D012106:Research; D012586:Science
Negative findings; Negative results; Null hypothesis