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Reproduzierbarkeit und negative Ergebnisse

Science corrects itself only when failures are recorded: replications that did not reproduce, experiments that found nothing, errors found after publication. Many of these records never appear, so the published literature overstates effects and certainty. This page sets out how irreproducibility arises, how replication and correction work, which records exist, and what editors, integrity offices and funders rely on when they correct or retract.

01Registrieren

Reproducibility and negative results on the record.

02Die Frage

Reproducibility and negative results: how the risk develops.

Failure records and corrections. The dossier below sets out how the risk develops, what is measured, where the data come from, how it is modelled and who decides.

Mechanismus

Publication bias filters the record

Significant, novel results are more likely to be written up, accepted and cited than null ones. The literature then shows a biased sample of what was studied, and meta-analyses inherit the bias.

Mechanismus

Errors propagate through citation

A flawed or retracted paper keeps being cited, often without mention of its status. Reviews, guidelines and later studies that build on it carry the error forward, sometimes long after the notice.

Mechanismus

Reproduction fails for ordinary reasons

Missing code, undocumented software versions, unshared reagents, unclear methods and lost raw data stop others from repeating an analysis or experiment, even when the original work was honest.

Mechanismus

Correction is slow and uneven

Investigations take time, journals differ in how they flag problems, and retraction notices can be vague. Readers may not learn that a paper was corrected, and databases may not carry the notice forward.

03Monitoring

Übersicht über Protokolle und Replikationen.

Die Ansicht, die ein Team nutzen würde, um dieses Thema zu verfolgen: seine Messgrößen, Zustände und Entscheidungen. Namen sind Beispiele, Werte sind illustrativ.

Tafel für Protokolle und Replikation

Reproducibility and negative results · Labs · Quarter 1

Zwei Replikationen laufenGCRI · Labs

Protokolle

PR-594 sensor driftFeldexperimentJaGenehmigtLäuft
PR-714 AI triageRandomisiertJaBedingungenEinrichtung
PR-551 message recallUmfrageexperimentJaGenehmigtAbgeschlossen
PR-896 heat exposureKohorteNeinAusstehendEntwurf

Replication R-20

Ursprünglicher Effekt
0.3 SD
Replikationseffekt
0.3 SD
Urteil
Kleiner, gleiches Vorzeichen
Veröffentlicht
mit Daten und Code

Verfügbarkeit von Testumgebungen

Protocol and replication board: the screen’s structure, terms and states for Reproducibility and negative results.Beispielnamen und beispielhafte Werte; ein Entwurf, kein Eintrag und kein Live-System.
04In the five domains

Negative results matter in every domain.

Negative results are published in the Reihe Labs Evidence. The National Academies’ report (2019) distinguishes reproducibility from replicability; DORA (2012) supports assessing research on its merits.

  • Negative results.
  • Replication attempts.
05Methoden und Evidenz

How reproducibility and negative results is modelled, measured and tested.

Das Modell, seine Annahmen, seine Daten und seine Unsicherheit in der Form, in der eine Wissenschaftlerin oder ein Ingenieur sie prüfen würde. Die Strukturen folgen veröffentlichten Methoden. Die dargestellten Werte sind illustrativ, keine Befunde.

Modell, Gleichungen und Annahmen

The model structure used for reproducibility and negative results, the assumptions it makes and how each is tested.

Risiko des Elements iRi = f(Hi, Ei, Vi, Ci)Gefahr, Exposition, Verwundbarkeit und Bewältigungskapazität
Erwarteter jährlicher SchadenEAL = ∑k pk · Lküber Ereignisse k mit jährlicher Wahrscheinlichkeit pk
Gekoppelte Systemext+1 = A xt + B ut + εtA carries the couplings, u the shock, ε the error
AnnahmeWarum es entstehtWie es geprüft wird
Gefahr und Exposition sind innerhalb eines Ereignisses unabhängigHält das Schadensintegral berechenbarMit einer Copula-Anpassung an gemeinsamen Aufzeichnungen vergleichen
Kopplungen sind nahe dem Arbeitspunkt linearLässt Schocks sich über A ausbreitenÜber den linearen Bereich hinaus stören und vergleichen
Vulnerabilitätskurven lassen sich zwischen Orten übertragenLokale Kurven sind selten verfügbarAnhand beobachteter Schäden validieren, wo es sie gibt
Eingaben
versionierte Datensätze mit Herkunftsnachweis
Ergebnisse
Verteilungen, nie einzelne Zahlen
Code
mit Modellkarte und Tests veröffentlicht
Reproduktion
gleiche Daten, Code, Umgebung und Seed
Standardformulierungen für Risiko und Zustandsraum; die aufgeführten Annahmen sind für die Methode typisch und zur Prüfung benannt, keine Ergebnisse.
FAIR-Leitprinzipien · GO FAIR und FORCE11W3C PROV · World Wide Web ConsortiumHinweise zur einheitlichen Behandlung von Unsicherheiten · IPCCCEOS Analysis Ready Data · Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
06Indikatoren

Was gemessen wird und wie gut.

Jeder Indikator trägt seine Einheit, seinen Rhythmus, die Art der zugrunde liegenden Quelle und die Evidenzkennzeichnung, die ein Wert tragen würde. Es werden keine Werte gezeigt: Ein Programm liefert sie unter seiner eigenen Autorität.

IndikatorEinheitTaktQuellentypKennzeichnung
Computational reproducibilitypercent of sampled studies regenerated from shared code and dataper auditReproducibility auditsBEOBACHTET
Replication outcomeproportion of replications meeting the prespecified criterionper programmeCoordinated replication projectsBEOBACHTET
Retraction noticescount by field and reasonjährlichRetraction Watch database via CrossrefVeröffentlichte Statistiken
Time from concern to correctionMonateper caseJournal and integrity office recordsBERICHTET
Post-retraction citationscitations per retracted articlejährlichCitation data linked to retraction recordsBEOBACHTET
Null and negative results depositedcount of recordsjährlichRepositories and registriesBERICHTET
Data available on requestpercent of articles whose data could be obtainedper auditData request auditsBEOBACHTET
07Quellen

Woher die Evidenz stammt.

Benannte öffentliche Datensätze und institutionelle Aufzeichnungen, jeweils mit ihrer Lizenzklasse. Quellen auf Vereinbarungsbasis werden nur zu ihren Bedingungen genutzt und niemals weiterveröffentlicht.

QuelleWas es liefertLizenzklasse
Retraction Watch database (Crossref)Retractions, corrections and expressions of concern with reasonsOffen, Namensnennung
Crossref metadata and Crossmark updatesLinks from articles to their corrections and retractionsOpen metadata, no restrictions
OpenAlexWorks, citations, authors and institutions across disciplinesOffen, CC0
FORRT Replication DatabaseReplication attempts and outcomes, mostly in the social and behavioural sciencesOffen, Namensnennung
OSF projects of coordinated replication programmesProtocols, data and code of large-scale replicationsOpen, licence per project
PubPeerPost-publication comments identifying possible problems in papersFree access, terms of use
Zenodo (CERN)Citable deposits for null results, data and codeOpen, licence per record
08Entscheidungen

Wer entscheidet und wozu die Evidenz dient.

Labore prepares evidence. The decisions below are taken by the authorities named, under their own rules, and never by the platform.

Wer entscheidetDie FrageEvidenz, der diese Seite dient
Journal editors and publishersWhether to correct, retract or issue an expression of concernEvidence of error or misconduct, author response, COPE guidance, reproduction attempts
Research integrity officesWhether an allegation is substantiated and what followsRaw data, records, code, interviews and an independent analysis
ForschungsfördererWhether to fund replications and require data and code sharingReproducibility audit results, replication evidence by field, cost of sharing
Guideline developers and systematic reviewersWhether to rely on a study that has been questioned or correctedRetraction and correction status, replication evidence, risk-of-bias assessment

Ergebnisse, die dieses Thema hervorbringt

  • Replication protocols registered before data collection, with success criteria fixed
  • Reproducibility records listing code, data, environment and the outcome of each rerun
  • Deposits of null and negative results with full methods
  • Correction logs that link each notice to the works affected
09Kernfragen

What experts ask about reproducibility.

  • Can an independent team re-run the analysis from the published data and code?
  • Has the finding been replicated with new data, in a new setting or by a different team?
  • Which null or negative results exist, and where are they recorded?
  • When an error is found, how is it corrected and how are users of the result told?
  • Which parts of a workflow, such as software versions or random seeds, could change the answer?
10Mechanismen und Treiber

Why results fail to reproduce.

Many published findings in several disciplines have proved difficult to replicate. The causes are well understood: small samples, flexible analysis, selective reporting, undocumented data processing and incentives that favour novel positive findings. In computational work, results can also depend on software versions, hardware, random seeds and data that change after publication.

Negative results are under-reported because they are harder to publish and seem less interesting. This distorts the evidence base: if only successful trials of an intervention are visible, the intervention looks more effective than it is. Systematic reviews and models built on that evidence inherit the bias.

Corrections matter for the same reason. An error in a widely used dataset or model can propagate into many downstream analyses before it is found.

11Methoden und Daten

Practices that support reproducibility.

  1. 01

    Open data and code

    Sharing the materials needed to re-run an analysis, within privacy and licensing limits. Some data cannot be shared and must be described instead.

  2. 02

    Computational environments

    Recording software versions and environments, a practice developed with reproduzierbare Modellierung. Long-term preservation remains hard.

  3. 03

    Registered reports

    Peer review of the protocol before results exist, so publication does not depend on the outcome.

  4. 04

    Correction records

    Dated, visible corrections linked to the original result, rather than silent replacement.

A failed replication does not by itself show the original was wrong; differences in setting, sample or method must be examined before conclusions are drawn.

12Methoden

Wie es untersucht wird und was die Methoden nicht sagen können.

13Where this page’s references

Where this page’s references lead.

Die Gremien und Dokumente, vor deren Hintergrund diese Seite gelesen wird. Status und Ausgaben ändern sich; jeder Link führt zur herausgebenden Stelle.

14Fragen

Fragen und Antworten.

What is the difference between reproducibility and replicability?
In the usage of the US National Academies, reproducibility means obtaining the same results from the same data and code, and replicability means obtaining consistent results from new data. Usage varies by field, so definitions should be stated.
Why publish negative results?
They show what did not work, prevent wasted repetition and correct the bias that makes effects look larger than they are. A well-designed study with a null result is a finding.
Does retraction always mean misconduct?
No. Papers are also retracted for honest error, irreproducible results or publisher problems. COPE guidance asks that each notice states the reason.
Can a retracted paper still be cited?
It can be cited as retracted, for example in studies of the literature. Citing it as valid evidence is an error that reviewers and editors should catch.
Will Labs publish a study that found nothing?
Yes. A well-conducted study with a null result is designed to be recorded with the same detail as a positive one.
How do I report an error in a Labs result?
Use the correction routes on the Labs trust page. Die Eingangsbestätigung nennt ein Aktenzeichen und den nächsten Schritt.
Are corrected results removed?
No. The original stays visible with a dated correction, so anyone who used it can see what changed.
BerichteBeitragen

Evidenz von dieser Seite aus beitragen.

Berichte is the Consortium’s quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.

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