> If people are so interested, they'd presumably read and cite null-result publications,
The thing is, people mostly cite work they're building upon, and it's often difficult to build much on a null result.
If I'm an old-timey scientist trying to invent the first lightbulb, and I try a brass filament and it doesn't work, then I try a steel filament and it doesn't work, then I try an aluminium filament and it doesn't work - will anyone be interested in that?
On the other hand, if I tested platinum or carbonised paper or something else that actually works? Well, there's a lot more to build on there, and a lot more to be interested in.