Rules of a Scientist’s Life
by
We’re three weeks into the new year. By now, most of us have decided that the “all organic raw nuts and berries” diet we were so gung ho about probably isn’t going to make it into February. Nor is the six-days-a-week workout schedule we undertook on January 2nd, after the hangover wore off. For now, three days a week will do. By March, we won’t even remember which gym we signed up with. Reflecting upon the over-optimistic personal goals we set for ourselves every January, we pondered whether their were rules of a scientist’s life that we should adhere to at all times, regardless of the month.
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[click here or on image to download a PDF version]
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Have any other rules you’d like to add to the list?
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@DoctorZen
wrote on January 22, 2013 at 2:57 pm
"Do the controls first."
alan@benchfly
wrote on January 22, 2013 at 4:01 pm
…and always sequence plasmids handed down to you. Seen the "controls" and "sequenced plasmid" stories end horribly too many times.
Jun
wrote on March 27, 2013 at 12:02 pm
What do you mean here? That the controls might not be "normal"? that the controls might not work?
alan@benchfly
wrote on March 27, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Many people are so eager to dive into a project that they forget to (or don't want to) do the controls first. Controls serve as the baseline, so if you can't get the controls working (or don't have them), then it's impossible to conclude anything from your future experiments.
@DoctorZen
wrote on January 22, 2013 at 2:57 pm
"Do the controls first."
Jes
wrote on August 28, 2013 at 7:46 pm
Could anyone translate the poster into Spanish?
Jes
wrote on August 28, 2013 at 7:46 pm
Could anyone translate the poster into Spanish?