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  3. Hypothesis-driven research is at the heart of scientific endeavor, and it is often the positive, confirmatory data that get the

Hypothesis-driven research is at the heart of scientific endeavor, and it is often the positive, confirmatory data that get the

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问题     Hypothesis-driven research is at the heart of scientific endeavor, and it is often the positive, confirmatory data that get the most attention and guide further research. But many studies produce non-confirmatory data—observations that refute current ideas and carefully constructed hypotheses. And it can be argued that these "negative data," far from having little value in science, are actually an integral part of scientific progress that deserve more attention.
    At first glance, this may seem a little nonsensical; after all, how can non-confirmatory results help science to progress when they fail to substantiate anything? But in fact, in a philosophical sense, only negative data resulting in rejection of a hypothesis represent real progress. As philosopher of science Karl Popper stated; "Every refutation should be regarded as a great success; not merely a success of the scientist who refuted the theory, but also of the scientist who created the refuted theory and who thus in the first instance suggested, if only indirectly, the refuting experiment. "
    On a more practical level, Journal of Negative Results in Biomedicine(JNRBM)was launched on the premise that scientific progress depends not only on the accomplishments of individuals but requires teamwork and open communication of all results -positive and negative. After all, the scientific community can only learn from negative results if the data are published.
    Though not every negative result will turn out to be of groundbreaking significance, it is imperative to be aware of the more balanced perspective that can result from the publication of non-confirmatory findings. The first and most obvious benefits of publishing negative results are a reduction in the duplication of effort between researchers, leading to the acceleration of scientific progress, and greater transparency and openness.
    More broadly, publication of negative data might also contribute to a more realistic appreciation of the "messy" nature of science. Scientific endeavors rarely result in perfect discoveries of elements of "truth" about the world. This is largely because they are frequently based on methods with real limitations and hypotheses based on uncertain premises.
    It is perhaps this "messy" aspect of science that contributes to a hesitation within the scientific community to publish negative data. In an ever more competitive environment, it may be that scientific journals prefer to publish studies with clear and specific conclusions. Indeed, Daniele Fanelli of the University of Edinburgh suggests that results may be distorted by a "publish or perish" culture in which the progress of scientific careers depends on the frequency and quality of citations. This leads to a situation in which data that support a hypothesis may be perceived in a more positive light and receive more citations than data that only generate more questions and uncertainty.
    Despite the effects of this competitive environment, however, a willingness to publish negative data is emerging among researchers. Publications that emphasize positive findings are of course useful, but a more balanced presentation of all the data, including negative or failed experiments, would also make a significant contribution to scientific progress.
Publication of non-confirmatory findings may result in______.
选项 A、researchers’ bias against confirmatory data
B、the waste of research resources
C、the acceleration of scientific discoveries
D、a more balanced perspective of individual efforts and teamwork
答案C
解析 文中对发表非验证性数据意义的论述主要集中在第四、五段。第四段指出，这可以减少研究者重复劳动，从而加快科学进步、使得科研更为透明与公开。第五段指出。它还有助于人们更为实际地了解科学的“杂乱性”本质。[C]选项是对这些内容的概括，为正确选项。
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