"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new
    discoveries, is not 'Eureka!', but 'That's funny…'" -Isaac Asimov

 

Successful research often leads through reasonable yet unsuccessful approaches and unexpected discoveries. Indeed the history of science is rife with examples of important discoveries arising from such results. In particular, two of today's most fruitful areas of research, computational sciences and life sciences, have no major venues in which such intermediate results can be discussed. It is our belief that a forum for and dialogue on serendipitous and unexpected results in these areas will provide valuable insight and inform modern research practices.

The Journal of Serendipitous and Unexpected Results (JSUR) is an open-access forum for researchers seeking to further scientific discovery by sharing surprising or unexpected results. These results should provide guidance toward the verification (or negation) of extant hypotheses. JSUR has two branches, one focusing on computational sciences and the other on the life sciences. JSUR submissions include short communications (2-4 pages) and full-length papers that discuss interesting and unexpected results encountered during the course of research. Consider a perspective article to complement one of your published journal or conference publications. Submit your work! See our mission statement, contribution types, and guidelines for submission.

Early Access Articles Now Available!
Now accepting manuscripts!


Early Access Articles:

"Neural Correlates of Interspecies Perspective Taking in the Post-Mortem Atlantic Salmon: An Argument for Proper Multiple Companisons Correction." Bennett, Baird, Miller, Wolford, JSUR, 1(1):1-5 (2010).


Help disseminate untapped knowledge in the Computational or Life Sciences

Can you demonstrate that:

  • Technique X fails on problem Y.
  • Hypothesis X can't be proven using method Y.
  • Protocol X performs poorly for task Y.
  • Method X has unexpected fundamental limitations.
  • While investigating X, you discovered Y.
  • Model X can't capture the behavior of phenomenon Y.
  • Failure X is explained by Y.
  • Assumption X doesn't hold in domain Y.
  • Event X shouldn't happen, but it does.

A Historical Example

OrstedOersted and Electromagnetism