When is a negative finding positive? Notes to encourage a necessary debate

Abstract

The publication of negative findings —research results that fail to reject the null hypothesis— is a growing phenomenon in social and natural sciences. This tendency demands the generation of criteria to distinguish negative results with substantive value from those with no value. Through a differentiation between practical and substantive value, this article contributes to this enterprise. It holds that negative findings with substantive value are those that inform established debates, presume the validity of previous hypothesis, and use more sophisticated techniques or data than previous studies. These findings allow researchers to advance a further understanding of phenomena, and increase theoretical sophistication.