Research Integrity Editor, Biochemia Medica.
Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb.
Biochem Med (Zagreb). 2017 Oct 15;27(3):030201. doi: 10.11613/BM.2017.030201.
Studies with positive results are greatly more represented in literature than studies with negative results, producing so-called publication bias. This review aims to discuss occurring problems around negative results and to emphasize the importance of reporting negative results. Underreporting of negative results introduces bias into meta-analysis, which consequently misinforms researchers, doctors and policymakers. More resources are potentially wasted on already disputed research that remains unpublished and therefore unavailable to the scientific community. Ethical obligations need to be considered when reporting results of studies on human subjects as people have exposed themselves to risk with the assurance that the study is performed to benefit others. Some studies disprove the common conception that journal editors preferably publish positive findings, which are considered as more citable. Therefore, all stakeholders, but especially researchers, need to be conscious of disseminating negative and positive findings alike.
阳性研究结果在文献中的代表性远远高于阴性研究结果，从而产生了所谓的发表偏倚。本综述旨在讨论阴性结果中出现的问题，并强调报告阴性结果的重要性。阴性结果的漏报会给荟萃分析带来偏倚，从而误导研究人员、医生和政策制定者。已经有争议的研究仍未发表，因此无法为科学界所用，这可能会导致更多的资源浪费在这些研究上。在报告人体研究结果时需要考虑伦理义务，因为人们已经承担了风险，保证研究是为了造福他人。一些研究推翻了期刊编辑更喜欢发表阳性结果的普遍观念，因为阳性结果被认为更具引用价值。因此，所有利益相关者，尤其是研究人员，都需要意识到要同等地传播阴性和阳性结果。
