Negative Results in European Psychology Journals
Author(s) / Creator(s)
Vasilev, Martin Rachev
Abstract / Description
Psychologists have long speculated that the research literature is largely dominated by positive findings, but yet there is little data to justify these speculations. The present study investigates the extent to which negative findings exist in the literature by reviewing articles published in five European psychology journals. While no temporal change was observed, the results indicate that almost all (95.4%) articles published in 2001, 2006 and 2011 found support for at least one tested hypothesis. Moreover, a sizable number (73%) of papers found support for all tested hypotheses. It is argued that the lack of negative findings can have a detrimental effect on the ability to systemize scientific knowledge, the way science is practiced, and the rate of replications in psychology. Publishing positive findings may be very important for making progress in our field, but negative findings are also crucial for maintaining its scientific integrity. When we base our conclusions on results that support our predictions and ignore data to the contrary, we run the risk of creating a biased view of reality that gives us little confidence in the validity and applicability of our findings.
Keyword(s)
negative results publication bias file-drawer problem European journals psychological researchPersistent Identifier
Date of first publication
2013-11-29
Journal title
Europe's Journal of Psychology
Volume
9
Issue
4
Page numbers
717–730
Publisher
PsychOpen GOLD
Publication status
publishedVersion
Review status
peerReviewed
Is version of
Citation
Vasilev, M. R. (2013). Negative Results in European Psychology Journals. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 9(4), 717–730. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v9i4.590
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Vasilev, Martin Rachev
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PsychArchives acquisition timestamp2018-11-21T10:01:18Z
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Made available on2018-11-21T10:01:18Z
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Date of first publication2013-11-29
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Abstract / DescriptionPsychologists have long speculated that the research literature is largely dominated by positive findings, but yet there is little data to justify these speculations. The present study investigates the extent to which negative findings exist in the literature by reviewing articles published in five European psychology journals. While no temporal change was observed, the results indicate that almost all (95.4%) articles published in 2001, 2006 and 2011 found support for at least one tested hypothesis. Moreover, a sizable number (73%) of papers found support for all tested hypotheses. It is argued that the lack of negative findings can have a detrimental effect on the ability to systemize scientific knowledge, the way science is practiced, and the rate of replications in psychology. Publishing positive findings may be very important for making progress in our field, but negative findings are also crucial for maintaining its scientific integrity. When we base our conclusions on results that support our predictions and ignore data to the contrary, we run the risk of creating a biased view of reality that gives us little confidence in the validity and applicability of our findings.en_US
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Publication statuspublishedVersion
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Review statuspeerReviewed
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CitationVasilev, M. R. (2013). Negative Results in European Psychology Journals. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 9(4), 717–730. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v9i4.590
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ISSN1841-0413
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Persistent Identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1215
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Persistent Identifierhttps://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.1407
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Language of contenteng
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PublisherPsychOpen GOLD
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Is version ofhttps://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v9i4.590
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Keyword(s)negative resultsen_US
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Keyword(s)publication biasen_US
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Keyword(s)file-drawer problemen_US
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Keyword(s)European journalsen_US
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Keyword(s)psychological researchen_US
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Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)150
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TitleNegative Results in European Psychology Journalsen_US
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DRO typearticle
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Issue4
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Journal titleEurope's Journal of Psychology
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Page numbers717–730
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Volume9
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Visible tag(s)Version of Record