Category Archives: Data and analysis

Get your undergrads thinking about analysis from the start

Posted on June 14, 2018 by

The last post talked about making sure undergrads get the big picture of their questions. This is essential, but it is not the end. All too often analysis is left for the end and there is no exploring. Ideally, students … Continue reading →

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Teach statistics the same way you teach baking a chocolate cake

Posted on August 13, 2015 by

We have wonderful undergraduates and we are failing them. We are failing in something important and I plan to fix it. That we are failing became very clear to me this past spring at their poster presentations. Generally the posters … Continue reading →

Posted in Data and analysis, Experimental design, Research, Undergraduates | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Help your writing with this clear rubric

Posted on December 3, 2013 by

What goes in the introduction? Why did she tell me to write the methods  first? Why should anyone care about my results? How can I convince them? Why did I do this project anyway? An excellent rubric can help. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Data and analysis, Experimental design, Publishing your work, Writing

You can’t be too careful with documenting your science

Posted on October 26, 2013 by

Once upon a time we simply kept graphs and tables in our lab notebooks. We kept videos of behavior and the transcripts from those videos. For decades I kept huge binders of printed computer output. I kept those long hole-punched … Continue reading →

Posted in Data and analysis, Experimental design, Scientific methods and pitfalls | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Keep your research honest, unbiased, comprehensive, and blind

Posted on June 6, 2013 by

Science cannot advance on fraudulent publications, whether the problems are big or small. We all know the basics of honest research, but there are also things we need to be taught. These are based on understanding our inadvertent tendencies to … Continue reading →

Posted in Data and analysis, Experimental design, Research, Scientific methods and pitfalls | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why you shouldn’t say “data not shown” or “personal communication”

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

What makes something science is not so much the subject matter as the process. Scientific information is obtained by clear methods that others should be able to repeat. It is above all based on evidence. There are lots of different … Continue reading →

Posted in Data and analysis, Ethics, Publishing your work, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Put some drama into your lab notebook!

Posted on April 5, 2013 by

My daughter’s Bellaire High School history teacher told us once at an open house that she did not want her students to learn what happened, but instead to learn why it happened. I felt joyous, knowing my daughter was in … Continue reading →

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