Stop Working & Start Thinking by Cohen, Jack -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Abbreviations 1 Preamble 2 Introduction

2.1 Please bear with us 2.2 Take your time answering this one… 2.3 A tale of two goats 2.4 Get your brain in gear

3 Science like what it is done

3.1 What is science? 3.2 The methods of science 3.3 Where do scientists get the questions they ask? 3.4 Prediction and predilection

4 Science and sciencisms

4.1 How scientists work 4.2 The hierarchy of science 4.3 Similarities and differences 4.4 Honest measurement

5 Observations, examinations and experiments

5.1 Observations 5.2 Hypothesis 5.3 Experiment

6 What are you measuring?

6.1 Variability, sampling and population 6.2 Randomisation… 6.3 … and blinding

7 Thinking about your measurements

7.1 If you have to use statistics 7.2 Sensible statistics 7.3 Different ways of showing measurement ‘errors’ 7.4 Transformation and scaling 7.5 Biological systems and variability 7.6 Hypothesis testing 7.7 Post-experimental statistics 7.8 Honest reporting of hypothesis testing 7.9 Pre-experimental statistics 7.10 Conclusions

8 Interpreting your measurements

8.1 Interpretation involves commitment 8.2 Bayesian thinking 8.3 Cryptic assumptions 8.4 Linking your prior to your posterior 8.5 Conclusions

9 Kinds of experiments

9.1 Here’s one we prepared earlier 9.2 Kinds of experiment 9.3 Defect experiments 9.4 Latin squares and other dances 9.5 Result-reversal experiments

Early pregnancy tests Staining with fluorescent (or enzyme-linked) antibodies The Ames test The cabbage experiment yet again

9.6 Demi-reversal experiments

Trichuris trichiura and cognitive development Cholera off-tap Iron chloride in the south Atlantic

9.7 Competition experiments

Plants from mine tailings Acceptable and unacceptable sperm DNA competition for DNA

9.8 The results of experiments 9.9 Function deprived and restored

10 Here’s the answer – what’s the question?

10.1 Explanation

How many explanations are there? The non-explanation explanation: RIC!

10.2 Believability 10.3 Hidden dimensions 10.4 Authority and reductionism 10.5 Cycles of explanation and scales of organisation 10.6 Better explanations 10.7 Causation and causality 10.8 Hypothesis, paradigm and progression 10.9 Conclusions

11 Content and context

11.1 The postgraduate in context 11.2 A list of real difficulties you might face 11.3 Honesty and dishonesty 11.4 What is postgraduate research for? 11.5 Content and context

12 Notes for postgraduate students

12.1 Where and with whom? 12.2 More social science 12.3 Giving an informal research presentation 12.4 Saving theories 12.5 Explaining and demonstrating 12.6 Poster sessions 12.7 Giving a formal oral presentation 12.8 Writing a scientific paper 12.9 Writing a thesis

13 Postamble Index