About this Research Topic

Background

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 Neuropharmacology. More often than expected and reflected in scientific publications, scientists are faced with failed experiments or negative results ultimately disproving a hypothesis or falsifying a given hypothesis or 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 Neuropharmacology.

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 manuscripts including original research and reviews that address the negative results and nullifying hypotheses within the field of Neuropharmacology. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Attempts to demonstrate the beneficial neuroprotective effects of new drugs

2. Attempts to validate the neurotoxicity of drugs/chemicals/compounds

3. Attempts to establish new therapeutics against neurological disorders

4. Attempts in the exploration of safe and effective therapeutic strategies for neuropsychiatric disorders

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. Only manuscripts of sound experimental planning and high quality research will be considered for review.

Keywords: Null hypothesis, negative results, neuroprotection, neurotoxicity, neurological and psychiatric disorders

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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