{"id":81,"date":"2017-05-28T16:44:13","date_gmt":"2017-05-28T16:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.efolio.soton.ac.uk\/blog\/discoverneuroscience\/?page_id=81"},"modified":"2019-06-08T13:06:26","modified_gmt":"2019-06-08T12:06:26","slug":"step-2-page-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/discoverneuroscience\/for-students\/project-guide\/step-2-designing-your-experiment\/step-2-page-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Step 2 Page 1 – The Scientific Process"},"content":{"rendered":"

In scientific research there is a standardised way of going about an Experiment<\/span>. This is as the diagram shows:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Ask a question\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\nThis should be something you can observe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Go back to\u00a0Step 1<\/a><\/strong> for more information on picking a question.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\u00a0Do background research<\/span><\/td>\nSo you don’t repeat experiments which have been done before, and so you can\u00a0 spot things that haven’t worked in previous projects, do a search to see what other projects have done. Use a search engine such as Google Scholar.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0Construct a\u00a0hypothesis<\/span><\/td>\nA Hypothesis<\/span> is basically what you think may happen.\u00a0<\/span>For instance; If Drosophila<\/span> are given food before entering a maze, they move faster through the maze.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

You can also include a Null Hypothesis<\/span>.<\/em> This is normally the prediction you make for if no effects are seen. For instance;\u00a0<\/span>If Drosophila<\/span> are given food before entering a maze, there is no difference in the speed they more through the maze.<\/em><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Test with an Experiment<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nYour Experiment<\/span> tests if your Hypothesis<\/span> is correct or if you should accept the Null Hypothesis<\/span> instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Always repeat your experiments to check that your results aren’t just a fluke. Repeat experiments at least 3 times.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember to always make sure your Experiment<\/span> is a fair test<\/em>. This means you are only changing one variable at a time<\/span><\/p>\n

Watch out that you interpret the Data<\/span> as it is (Objectivity<\/em>), a negative result is still as result, don’t look for what isn’t there. Only report what you see.\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\u00a0Analyse your Data<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nOnce you’ve collected all your Data<\/span>, you need to analyse it and see if it supports your Hypothesis<\/span> or not.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you choose to statistically analyse your Data<\/span> see our stats page<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Write up!<\/span><\/td>\nCommunicate your results however you choose – this can be as an academic poster, presentation or written report. See Step 3<\/a><\/strong> for more information on writing up your analysed Data<\/span>.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2190<\/span>Go back to Step 2 –\u00a0Designing your Experiment<\/span>\u00a0Menu<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Go to Step 2 Page 2 – Laboratory Equipment\u2192<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n