BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine encourages the submission of negative results with the aim of strengthening the transparency of the scientific record.
A recent opinion article published in The scientist highlighted the importance of negative results in scientific research and how a predilection to publish only positive results can lead to a large amount of valid and useful scientific data going unreported. This may be due to the widely held belief that negative results are less valuable than positive results, or that journals are simply not interested in reports of negative results.
However, there is an argument that negative results are even greater in the field of complementary and alternative medicine research than in any other field, and it is for this reason that we absolutely welcome reports reporting results negative in this area. Complementary and alternative medicine BMC.
Complementary and alternative medicine is a somewhat unusual area in terms of medical research in that, rather than searching for new treatments, they are often already available and presented to us, and it is up to us to determine which ones work and which do not. not. As a result, it can sometimes feel like we are undertaking a thorough validation of the treatments and therapies offered. Viewed in this light, the utility of negative results becomes obvious. As stated in the article by The scientist, failure to report negative results can lead to redundant research, which will inevitably slow down the “validation” process. More problematic though, this can lead to a bias in reporting on an already available treatment towards the positive, sending the public the message that it is effective and useful, when there may in fact be a pile of unpublished work detailing exactly the opposite. .
Additionally, the potential problem of researcher bias must be considered. Practitioners of a therapy may be reluctant to publish results that call into question the treatment they are offering. In the worst cases, this can lead to manipulation of study results and designs to favor positive conclusions. This is obviously an entirely different issue, and one that falls under the purview of publication ethics. However, less ethically dubious but nevertheless problematic, it can lead to the “concealment” of negative results, which then accentuates the positive bias in the literature. So it becomes even more important that negative results have a place and that researchers understand that there is a place where they can submit them.
In the field of complementary and alternative medicine, more than in any other field, it is important to advocate balance, moderation and openness in research reporting. The way to do this is through the publication of both positive and negative results. Only in this way can the field be seen as honest, self-regulated, and striving to identify truly effective treatments and therapies. Likewise, only in this way will this area be accepted by the scientific community and the general public as a valid area of scientific research.
By encouraging the submission and publication of both positive and negative results, BMComplement Cary and alternative medicine seeks to play our part in achieving this balance.
