10 things I learned about science

Science is a cruel mistress, especially when you first start your life as a research trainee. However the skills and “scar tissue” gained can be useful. In the last 6 months following my qualifying exam, some of the tricks I picked up while preparing for it have come in handy, and I’ve even picked up a few more since then. Here they all are in a nice and catchy “Top 10” format, in no specific order. Some of them might seem obvious, but it can be surprising how often the obvious things get overlooked in science.

1. If you think of a cool new idea, there’s a 95% chance it’s already been published. This is a good thing, it means you’re on the right track, and now you can follow the trail of those who came before you
2. The principle of elimination is a powerful tool. Don’t just think of experiments to support your model, think of experiments that eliminate other possibilities.
3. There are more applicable experimental methods out there than one might realize. For any scientific question, it can be easier to find techniques to probe the question than to come up with possible hypotheses.
4. Always think about what the output of your method means. Every method has limitations in how you can interpret the data. Even if your data supports your hypothesis, some methods may convolute or wash out the other rare possibilities, and you could miss some really interesting stuff.
5. If you feel like you’ve hit a wall, pace and percolate. Just get up and walk away for a little while.
6. Don’t just write in the passive voice. This is a personal one for me because I feel like so much of my science education beat into me that the only way to write about science was in the passive voice. I’ve come to realize that it really depends on the type of writeup, the audience, and your topic. Your voice can change depending on what you’re writing. Be flexible.
7. Speaking of flexibility - be flexible with your focus. Some directions will not work, and other directions, while interesting, may have more cost than benefit. Write all your cool ideas down for later, and aim for the lower hanging fruits first. Focus your time on building the pieces that will help your current story, and be ready for that story to change day to day.
8. It will never hurt to cite more people.
9. Collect textbooks, both old and new, from any and all fields.
10. If you have friends in different fields, talk to each other about projects and ideas. Sometimes a different perspective can kickstart a whole new project.

This list might get updated as time goes on, and it may not be “10 things” after a while, but these serve as a nice reminder of the simple things that can help.