The Null Result Portal

Abstract

Null results occur in every discipline and research field. While positive results are usually published null results are underrepresented in the literature. Nevertheless, they can contribute to knowledge of the field as much as positive results. There are already a few attempts to make null results publicly available such as special issues on null results or journal dedicated to null results. However, the response of the research community is often low in means of submitted papers. We here present the Null Result Portal. It provides the possibility to publish null results with a much lower effort compared to a paper. Null results can be discussed by and with the community. Authors may decide to stay anonymous. Furthermore, the portal provides search functionality to foster the collection of null results. It hereby contributes to make null results less underrepresented and more acknowledged by the research community. Discussions with the research community furthermore ensure that potential methodological issues or problems with the used data may be detected. The Null Result Portal is available online.