Negative equity – the value of reporting negative results

Abstract

ABSTRACT A pervasive discussion point within the scientific community is the value of unpublished or unavailable data. Researchers, funders, ethical review bodies, editors and publishers have all highlighted the need to make more data available to enhance experimental planning and interpretation and to prevent others from repeating similar experiments. This is particularly important in the context of experimentation involving animals and efforts towards replacement, refinement and reduction. However, despite this broad agreement, sharing data that show inconclusive, statistically insignificant or unremarkable results is still not common practice. In this Editorial, we will highlight the value of what are often coined negative (or null) data and outline some emerging initiatives to address the gap between data generated in laboratories and data available to the wider scientific community.