Call for papers
Submit your research to IJNR
International Journal of Negative Results welcomes submissions throughout the year reporting negative, null, non-confirmatory or inconclusive findings from rigorous studies in any scientific discipline.
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.
Regular submissions are accepted throughout the year and are screened on a rolling basis.
The themes below indicate where the journal is reading. They describe the remit rather than restrict it: a soundly designed study reporting negative, null, non-confirmatory or inconclusive findings is in scope whether or not it matches a heading.
The journal
- Published by
- Open Access Pub
- ISSN
- 2641-9181
- Short code
- IJNR
- Access
- Open access, CC BY 4.0
Where the journal is reading
Themes invited
Four groupings, each open to experimental, observational, computational and synthesis work.
01
Replication and reproducibility
Unsuccessful replications and reproducibility assessments that do not confirm the original findings; the pooled evidence on an effect once unpublished negative findings are included; null or inconclusive evidence across a body of studies.
02
Clinical and laboratory research
Null results in clinical trials and observational studies; non-confirmatory findings in laboratory research; protocol deviations and what was learned from null outcomes.
03
Computational, engineering and behavioral research
Negative outcomes in engineering and computational methods; negative findings in AI, modeling and algorithm performance; null findings, or findings contrary to the hypothesis tested, in the social and behavioral sciences.
04
Methods and transparency
Methodological approaches that did not succeed and limitations of established methods; inconclusive results from rigorous studies; publication bias and reporting transparency.
What can be submitted
Article types
The journal accepts four article types. Preparation requirements for each are set out in Instructions for Authors.
Original Research
Experimental, observational or computational studies reporting negative, null, non-confirmatory or inconclusive findings, including unsuccessful replications.
Review Article
Systematic reviews, meta-analyses and critical evidence syntheses addressing negative findings, reproducibility or publication bias.
Methods and Tools
Evidence-supported evaluations documenting methodological limitations, unsuccessful approaches or tools that fail to achieve their intended performance.
Short Communication
Concise reports of complete, well-supported negative or null findings with sufficient methodological detail.
Terms of submission
How submissions are handled
The terms below are the same for every submission, at every time of year.
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. Authors who request double-blind review supply identifying information in a separate title-page file, as set out in Instructions for Authors.
Decisions
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.
Open access
Articles appear under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, and authors retain copyright.
Charges
The article processing charge is USD 1,800 for all four article types and is payable only after acceptance. There is no submission fee. Withdrawal after submission is subject to the journal’s withdrawal policy. Full terms are on the Article Processing Charges page.
Preprints
Preprints are permitted. Disclose them in the cover letter and cite them appropriately.
Language
Manuscripts are accepted in English.
Also welcome
Collections
Beyond regular submissions, the journal welcomes proposals for focused collections. Researchers with relevant expertise are invited to propose a special issue on a question that would benefit from being read as a body of evidence. Every collection is limited to negative, null, non-confirmatory or inconclusive findings, including unsuccessful replications, evidence-supported methodological limitations, and reviews of such findings.
What a proposal contains, and the safeguards that apply, are set out on Special Issues. Proposals go to the editorial office at [email protected].
Submitting
Send a manuscript
Check fit against Aims and Scope and prepare the submission using Instructions for Authors.
The editorial office can comment on fit before a full submission is prepared: send the title and abstract to [email protected].
Submission routes
Primary route
Alternative route
Assisted route
Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript.