Relying on a single procedure or technology in science is foolish. Research is unreliable, and the particular method you have chosen may not be capable of yielding good data. Therefore, you should always have at least one backup method capable of reaching the same conclusion. If that is not possible, then a backup idea for looking at something different is a viable alternative. It doubles your chances of getting good data.
Additionally, the main difference between the high and low impact journals is the thoroughness of research. Whilst low impact papers rely on a single procedure (still with multiple replicates), the studies with higher impact use multiple different techniques to show the same thing, providing increased evidence for their conclusions.
Get Practical Tips- Compare high impact with low impact papers on the same subject, and see how many different methods each type uses to demonstrate their conclusions.
- If there are limited possibilities for answering the same question, try answering a different but related question at the same time. You can always branch your project in a different direction.
- DO NOT give up on every experiment that does not immediately work. A backup is important, but should not be immediately resorted to. Science takes perseverance. Look to correct the mistakes in your current procedure before starting a new one.
Get Wet Lab Tip
- Complicated machinery breaks. It is best if your backup plan is not reliant on the same machines. Get to know different machines, even if they just do the same thing. When one breaks, which it probably will at some stage, you won’t be completely stuck.
Read Personal Perspective
Not having a backup plan was one of my main mistakes. I spent several months trying to get a drug to have an effect on my cells when the sensible course of action would have been to either find a different drug or look for a different effect.
Both of which I did eventually, but if I had done so earlier I would have saved a lot of time. Later, I spoke to a man at a conference who asserted that the reason I got no effect was because the drug was killing any cell that absorbed it. Possible.
Have you made similar mistakes? Share your experiences or feelings about this guideline in the comments below, or just give it a thumbs up.
