PAASP’s Anton Bespalov together with Phil Skolnick (Opiant) and Thomas Steckler (Janssen) address the issue of negative data being rarely disclosed in a form of scientific publications. There seems to be general reluctance to publish negative results, due to a range of factors (e.g., the preference to publish positive findings that are more likely to generate citations and funding for additional research).
In this article, the authors describe a set of criteria that can help scientists, reviewers and editors to publish technically sound, scientifically high-impact negative (or null) results originating from rigorously designed and executed studies. Proposed criteria emphasize the importance of collaborative efforts and communication among scientists (also including the authors of original publications with positive results).