About the journal
International Journal of Negative Results
A peer-reviewed, open-access record of negative, null, non-confirmatory and inconclusive findings across scientific disciplines, including unexpected findings that do not confirm the hypothesis tested.
IJNR publishes rigorously conducted research reporting negative, null, non-confirmatory or inconclusive findings across scientific disciplines, including unsuccessful replications, evidence-supported methodological limitations, and systematic reviews or meta-analyses of such findings. Eligible manuscripts are assessed on methodological quality, ethical standards and transparent reporting. Positive confirmatory findings fall outside the journal's remit.
Negative, null and non-confirmatory findings are a necessary part of the scientific record, and they are reported far less often than confirmatory ones. The journal gives that work a scholarly home. A well-designed study with a negative outcome narrows the range of plausible explanations, clarifies the conditions under which an effect holds, and allows other researchers to build on an approach that has already been tested rather than repeat it.
The journal
- Published by
- Open Access Pub
- ISSN
- 2641-9181
- Short code
- IJNR
- Access
- Open access, CC BY 4.0
- Language
- English
The shape of the subject
Example research domains
The journal is multidisciplinary. The domains below are examples, not an exhaustive list, and submissions from other scientific disciplines are equally welcome. The journal also considers unsuccessful replications, evidence-supported methodological limitations, publication bias and patterns in null results, and research whose findings do not support the hypothesis tested, wherever they arise.
01
Biomedical and life sciences
Clinical trials and therapeutic interventions without a significant effect, negative genetic-association studies, biomarker validation studies that failed, and molecular, cellular and animal-model experiments that did not produce the expected result.
02
Physical and chemical sciences
Synthesis attempts that did not yield their target, non-reactive compounds, materials and catalysis work that did not succeed, negative results in analytical-method development, and unsuccessful physics experiments testing established theories.
03
Computational and data sciences
Algorithms, models and machine-learning approaches that did not perform as intended or could not be reproduced, reported with benchmarking and failure analysis.
04
Environmental and earth sciences
Field studies that could not be reproduced, environmental interventions without the intended effect, negative ecological correlations, model predictions not borne out, and non-significant impact assessments.
Assessment
Proportionate conclusions
Conclusions are expected to be proportionate to the evidence: authors state what the data can and cannot show.
IJNR considers manuscripts reporting negative, null, non-confirmatory or inconclusive findings; positive confirmatory findings fall outside its remit. Among eligible manuscripts, assessment rests on the design of the study, the quality of its data, the appropriateness of its analysis, its ethical conduct and the completeness of its reporting.
The journal therefore asks for a candid account of limitations and, where applicable to the study design, for sample-size justification, statistical power, effect sizes with confidence intervals and a statement of whether the study could have detected the effect of interest. Inconclusive findings and evidence-supported methodological failures are eligible when they are reported transparently and do not overstate the absence of an effect; this reporting is what makes them usable in later work and in evidence synthesis.
Readers and contributors
Who the journal is for
The journal serves anyone whose work depends on knowing what has already been tested, and with what result.
Researchers with unreported results
Scientists holding well-conducted studies whose outcome was null, negative or inconclusive, and who need a venue that will read the method carefully.
Replication teams
Groups repeating published work, directly or conceptually, for whom an unsuccessful replication is a finding in its own right.
Evidence synthesis
Authors of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, whose conclusions depend on access to the full range of results rather than a selected part of it.
Students and new researchers
Readers for whom a clearly reported method, a stated uncertainty and an honest limitation are as valuable as the headline result.
What the journal undertakes
Editorial responsibility
These commitments apply to every manuscript submitted to the journal.
Peer review
Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
Decisions
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal. They remain independent of fees, services, memberships, and editorial or reviewing roles.
Publication ethics
Concerns about submitted or published work are handled following the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Open access
Articles appear under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, and authors retain copyright.
Article processing charge
The charge is USD 1,800 for all article types and is payable only after acceptance; withdrawal after submission is subject to the journal’s withdrawal policy. Full terms are on the journal’s Article Processing Charges page.
The editors who carry this responsibility are listed on the Editorial Board page, and the full set of publishing policies on Editorial Policies.
Reading and taking part
Where to go next
Detailed subject coverage is set out on Aims and Scope. Published work is listed in the current issue and the archive, and author requirements on Instructions for Authors.
Manuscripts within the journal’s scope are welcome throughout the year from researchers in any scientific discipline.
Submission routes
Primary route
Alternative route
Assisted route
Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript.