What happens when a study produces evidence that doesn't support a scientific hypothesis?
Scientists have a few different ways of describing this event. Sometimes, the results of such a study are called 'null results'. They may also be called 'negative results'. In my opinion, both of these terms are useful, although I slightly prefer 'null' on the grounds that the term 'negative' tends to draw an unfavorable contrast with 'positive' results. Whereas, my impression is that 'null' makes it clear that these are results in their own right, as they are evidence consistent with the null hypothesis. Yet there's another way of talking about evidence inconsistent with a hypothesis - such results are sometimes treated as not being results at all. In this way of speaking, to "get a result" in a certain study means to find a positive result. To "get no results" or "find nothing" means to find ...
