We prove a fixed point result in orbitally $$0$$0-complete partial metric spaces, using a variant of almost contractive condition that involves a rational expression. Also, a common fixed point result in $$0$$0-complete partial metric spaces is obtained. Several consequences are deduced and examples are presented, showing that the given result can be used for proving the existence of (common) fixed points when some known results fail. © 2014, African Mathematical Union and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.