How do you go about your research?(Specifically science fields, for me. I’d love to know if/how other disciplines differ!) I guess we all learn about the “scientific method” in school – hypothesis, experiment, data/analysis, conclusion. But what are the specific steps to looking into the background, before the experiment and hypothesis are formed?
Last semester, I did a review on glycoproteins in pathogenic bacteria, which was a blast because I love glycoproteins and pathogens are interesting! But…I knew a bit about glycoproteins and definitely about pathogens before I started.
What about topics you aren’t doing an experiment on? Or if you’re trying to see what the Literature says before spending money on an experiment?
Well, someone must have heard my questions, because today in Immunology, we were informed we would have to write a research grant proposal. AH! I’ve done bits and pieces here and there for my own labs, but, as this post shows, I’m not completely sure of my own methods and how I should actually go about formally writing these things.
How do you pick a specific topic in a field in which you are really unsure? I’ll be detailing my process to examine how I do it, and hopefully get some tips along the way!
Sora the Explorer 