When you return after a break to a procedure you knew well, you should treat it like you have never done it before. Otherwise you may miss something.
Our brains are remarkably good at dismissing information we haven’t used for a while, and although you may think you remember everything when you come back, there is a good chance you have forgotten something. Experienced scientists, who are well planned and organised, still fall victim to this problem.
Get Wet Lab Tips
- Even whilst you are performing the same technique over and over it is a good idea to read through the protocol before and after to make sure you are doing it right. If you find you are forgetting steps then highlight them, and specifically remind yourself about those steps before the next experiment.
- Never assume that steps in established protocols are not necessary. The manufacturers have not added things just to make their procedures look more detailed. Of course, if you understand the protocol and you know that for your purposes specific steps are not needed, then that is different.
Read Personal Perspective
Once I’d organised myself and stopped trying to cram as much work into each experiment as possible the quality of my data improved. My main problem became that I paid less attention to the protocol because I assumed I knew it.
I rarely missed anything big – I was not such a fool to attempt a protocol I didn’t know pretty well without looking at it. Usually, the timing was a bit off or I didn’t shake mixtures, or I didn’t pre-prepare things that took time to prepare, but small things can still make big differences.
Fortunately, I’ll never know how much extra data I would have got if I’d followed this guideline, but I imagine it isn’t small.
Have you made similar mistakes? Share your experiences or feelings about this guideline in the comments below, or just give it a thumbs up.
