About this resource

    Type of resources
    Primary Source, Reading, Paper
    Education level(s)
    College / Upper Division (Undergraduates)
    Primary user(s)
    Student
    Subject area(s)
    Applied Science, Social Science
    Language(s)
    English
    Cluster
    Replication and Meta-Research, Replication Crisis and Credibility Revolution
    Last updated
    29 October 2026
    Primary SourceReadingPaper

    The file drawer problem and tolerance for null results.

    By R. Rosenthal

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    Level College / Upper Division (Undergraduates) · For Student · Language English

    Abstract

    For any given research area, one cannot tell how many studies have been conducted but never reported. The extreme view of the “file drawer problem” is that journals are filled with the 5% of the studies that show Type I errors, while the file drawers are filled with the 95% of the studies that show nonsignificant results. Quantitative procedures for computing the tolerance for filed and future null results are reported and illustrated, and the implications are discussed.

    Keywords Reproducibility Crisis and Credibility Revolution