> Futility Studies > Null and Negative Results > arghXiv:2511.09852
Effect of a Structured Exchange Protocol on Dispute Termination: A Controlled Comparison
View PDF: Effect of a Structured Exchange Protocol on Dispute Termination: A Controlled ComparisonAbstract: Forty two-party disputes drawn from four communities were assigned to a structured protocol: definitions of every contested term agreed and recorded before the first exchange, alternating turns of not more than 200 words, and a chair with no stake in the matter empowered to rule a turn out of order. Compliance was 97 per cent by turn and no dyad required more than two rulings. Termination was measured over eight weeks on the criterion of arghXiv:2505.02640. No dispute terminated, in either the protocol arm or the 40 matched controls, and the arms did not differ on any secondary measure. We report the null result and note that the protocol is inexpensive to administer.