We are happy to present this new initiative ‘Be Positive about the Negative in Pharmacology’ series of article collections hosted across the journal. This collection aims to assess ‘negative results’ in science, often known as orphan data, that result in nullifying the hypothesis of scientific questions.
Negative results, or the idea of ‘finding nothing’, can be essential to advancing knowledge in the field of Renal Pharmacology. More often than expected and reflected in scientific publications, scientists are faced with failed experiments or negative results ultimately disproving a hypothesis or a theory. In the absence of knowing these negative results exist, researchers end up utilizing valuable resources and time on experiments that have already been performed. In the field of pharmacology, this can lead to millions of dollars lost. There is a negative connotation associated with disproving hypotheses and most manuscripts published rely on advancements and discoveries within the field. However, we believe that acknowledging deviations from the expectation or proving when something is not the case should also be disseminated to a wider audience to help provide alternative strategies to answer such research questions. Therefore, this Research Topic aims to acknowledge the negative results produced within the field of Renal Pharmacology.
This Research Topic wants to remove the perception that negative results are difficult to publish. Highlighting negative results can improve science and help collaborative research enabling other scientists to learn from them. We welcome clinical studies including manuscripts of original research, clinical studies, and reviews that address the negative results and nullifying hypotheses within the field of Renal Pharmacology. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Attempts to demonstrate the reno-protective effects of innovative therapeutic strategies
2. Attempts to apply precision medicine, including genetics and other molecular profiling technologies, in nephrology technologies and drug discovery.
3. Attempts to assess the effects and safety of immune-suppressants in kidney diseases and renal transplantation.
4. Attempts to assess the effects and safety of novel pharmacologic treatments in patients with diabetic and non-diabetic proteinuric nephropathies.
This article collection will inform and help provide direction and guidance to researchers in the field. Only manuscripts that focus solely on negative or null results will be considered for peer review. Manuscripts describing experiments that cannot reproduce data by others, without replicability, are also welcome and worth public discussion.
Note to authors: We would also like to draw to the attention of authors who are hoping to submit to this collection, the development of
PEER , an open access ‘Platform for the Exchange of Experimental Research Standards’ built to aid scientists in determining experimental factors and variables most likely to affect experimental outcomes.
Please note: Manuscripts submitted to the section must adhere to the author’s guidelines and article types specific to the section and are to only include clinical trials, no pre-clinical data. Only manuscripts of sound experimental planning and high quality research will be considered for review.