Researchers suggest lack of published null result papers skews reliability of those that are published
Friday, August 29, 2014 - 07:30
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org) —A trio of researchers at Stanford University has shined a light on a problem many in the social science research arena are aware of but tend to ignore: the problem of null result papers not being written or published. In their paper published in the journal Science, Annie Franco, Neil Malhotra and Gabor Simonovits suggest that not publishing null result papers produces a bias in the literature, skewing the reliability of papers with strong results that are published. Jeffery Mervis offers an In Depth piece on the team's work in the same journal edition.