Mon, 8 Aug 1994 06:46:21 -0700 for <socgrad@UCSD.edu>
From: blyden.potts@um.cc.umich.edu
Date: Mon, 8 Aug 94 09:44:32 EDT
To: socgrad@UCSD.EDU
Subject: journal of failed experiments
While I've no idea whether articles in the major journals MUST be 
positive and/or confirmatory, I think that there IS a general rule that
way.  For quite some time I've been intrigued about the possibility of
producing something like what Christopher Gunn termed a Journal of 
Failed Experiments.  I don't think it makes any sense to limit it to 
failures and experiments only.  I would include stuff that only got part
finished and then ran into a snag, and research designs other than 
experiments would have to be in the majority.  The most interesting 
subject matter would be stuff that theory suggests ought to work, which
didn't!  Such a journal wouldrobably be a great boon to Sociology 
since we'd have much better communication about things being done which
weren't "RIGHT", and it would be a great source of ideas for Graduate
Students.  You could pick up someone else's failed project and see where
it went, either by understanding why it didn't work, or trying to get
it to work in another trial, et cetera...  The only problem is that I
have other things to do (this idea is a fairly minor priority) and I
am a bit scared to give it a go.
Blyden