Stop working & start thinking
Subtitle: a guide to becoming a scientist
By: Jack Cohen and Graham Medley ; with an introduction by Ian Stewart.
Contributors: Medley, Graham.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group; BIOS Scientific Publ
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Abingdon, Oxon, UK; New York, NY
Language: eng
Subjects: Research -- Psychological aspects; Research -- Methodology
Other titles: Stop working and start thinking
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Preamble; title: Introduction; title: 2.1 Please bear with us; title: 2.2 Take your time answering this one; title: 2.3 A tale of two goats; title: 2.4 Get your brain in gear; title: Science like what is done; title: 3.1 What is science?; title: 3.2 The methods of science; title: 3.3 Where do scientists get the questions they ask?; title: 3.4 Prediction and predilection; title: Science and sciencisms; title: 4.1 How scientists work; title: 4.2 The hierarchy of science; title: 4.3 Similarities and differences; title: 4.4 Honest measurement; title: Observations, examinations and experiments; title: 5.1 Observations; title: 5.2 Hypothesis; title: 5.3 Experiment; title: What are you measuring?; title: 6.1 variability, sampling and population; title: 6.2 Randomisation; title: 6.3 ... and blinding; title: Thinking about your measurements; title: 7.1 If you have to use statistics; title: 7.2 Sensible statistics; title: 7.3 Different ways of showing measurement xe "measurement" 'error xe "measurement error" s'; title: 7.4 Transformation and scaling; title: 7.5 Biological systems and variability; title: 7.6 Hypothesis testing; title: 7.7 Post-experimental statistics; title: 7.8 Honest reporting of hypothesis xe "hypothesis" testing; title: 7.9 Pre-experimental statistics; title: 7.10 Conclusions; title: Interpreting your measurements; title: 8.1 Interpretation involves commitment; title: 8.2 Bayesian thinking; title: 8.3 Cryptic assumptions; title: 8.4 Linking your prior to your posterior; title: 8.5 Conclusions; title: Kinds of experiments xe "experiment"; title: 9.1 Here's one we prepared earlier; title: 9.2 Kinds of experiment; title: 9.3 Defect experiments; title: 9.4 Latin squares and other dances; title: 9.5 Result-reversal experiments; title: Early pregnancy xe "pregnancy" tests; title: Staining with fluorescent (or enzyme-linked) antibodies; title: The ames xe "ames" test; title: The cabbage xe "cabbages" experiment xe "experiment" yet again; title: 9.6 Demi-reversal xe "experiment: demi-reversal" experiments; title: Trichuris trichiura xe "trichuris trichiura" and cognitive development; title: Cholera off-tap; title: Iron chloride in the south atlantic; title: 9.7 Competition xe "experiment: competition" experiments; title: Plants from mine tailings; title: Acceptable and unacceptable sperm; title: Dna xe "dna" competition xe "experiment: competition" for dna; title: 9.8 The results of experiments; title: 9.9 Function deprived and restored; title: Here's the answer - what's the question?; title: 10.1 Explanation; title: How many explanations are there?; title: The non-explanation explanation xe "explanation" : ric!; title: 10.2 Believability; title: 10.3 Hidden dimensions; title: 10.4 Authority and reductionism; title: 10.5 Cycles of explanation and scales of organisation; title: 10.6 Better explanations; title: 10.7 Causation and causality; title: 10.8 Hypothesis, paradigm and progression; title: 10.9 Conclusions; title: Content and context; title: 11.1 The postgraduate in context; title: 11.2 A list of real difficulties you might face; title: 11.3 Honesty and dishonesty; title: 11.4 What is postgraduate research for?; title: 11.5 Content and context; title: Notes for postgraduate students; title: 12.1 Where and with whom?; title: 12.2 More social science; title: 12.3 Giving an informal research presentation; title: 12.4 Saving theories; title: 12.5 Explaining and demonstrating; title: 12.6 Poster sessions; title: 12.7 Giving a formal oral presentation; title: 12.8 Writing a scientific paper; title: 12.9 Writing a thesis; title: Postamble; title: Index.