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September 26, 2025PLoS Biology11 citationsOpen Access

Ending publication bias: A values-based approach to surface null and negative results

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SCStephen CurryEMEunice Mercado-LaraVAVirginia Arechavala‐Gomeza

Key Points

  • Publication bias persists, hindering the dissemination of negative results in scientific research.
  • Concrete measures proposed to encourage and normalize the publication of negative outcomes.
  • Major stakeholders, including funders and publishers, can effectively contribute to solving this issue.
  • Transparency in publishing negative results will bolster public trust in scientific research.

Abstract

Sharing knowledge is a basic tenet of the scientific community, yet publication bias arising from the reluctance or inability to publish negative or null results remains a long-standing and deep-seated problem, albeit one that varies in severity between disciplines and study types. Recognizing that previous endeavors to address the issue have been fragmentary and largely unsuccessful, this Consensus View proposes concrete and concerted measures that major stakeholders can take to create and incentivize new pathways for publishing negative results. Funders, research institutions, publishers, learned societies, and the research community all have a role in making this an achievable norm that will buttress public trust in science.

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Cite This Study

Curry et al. (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68d6c671b1249cec298b219fhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003368
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