Have finished my discussion and almost all the writing and referencing for my paper. Am off to the lab to attend LA's lab talk. Its probably the last time that I shall attend one of her lab talks...and I do feel terribly sad about that. I love her lab talks because usually its something reasonably technical and useful unlike most of mine which are hypothesis based and therefore of no practical use.
POA for today - 1. Dont follow RM's chocolate rewarding rules (Mother seems scared that I shall begin to resemble a Smarties). However, do follow the reward system..sounds like a good plan. It obviously worked for RM so should work for me.
2. Lab - immunise,run errands and then finish figures in the evening and send paper to SG,AVSH and ARS.
3. Night - ?visit the "little terror" in headington and then back to lab to try and sort out next paper.
I am finding it very hard to think of my next paper because it is not really very positive data. I dont really know what to do about that? The general maxim in science publishing is never publish a negative result unless it refutes someone else's positive result. In fact, that is why science funding is so poorly managed. Invariably, a group is replicating unpublished negative findings done over three or four years ago by someone across the world from them. Lack of information of negative results leads to duplicate funding for previously failed projects. Of course, it is quite possible that different groups interpret negative results in different ways and sometimes groups often find alternative and successful directions from the same negative results. In any case, you do lose time and money if you spend a year getting results that have already been arrived at elsewhere.
In my case, I am a bit stuck and need to think of a way out of the problem. I might have to chat with people to get a better idea about how to present the data - which is my other area of disgruntlement in science publishing. Perhaps another rant on another day.
5 comments:
Bless!! I was extremely stressed about yesterday (much more than normal) but that makes me feel better!
You're doing alright on the writing then? Well done!! Will keep an eye on you via the interweb....
PS. Did you remember that I read this?!! Is that why you're so nice about my lab meeting?!!
Reward system does work ;) I'll admit, chocolate does have it's drawbacks! Try something more healthy, like, a walk in the Park, having fun at the cricket nets, etc. Then you'll definitely not look like a smarties! :) I think I was on a chocolate kick when I wrote that!
I'm diligently working (well, not right now) for my first week, trying to cram in lots of reading before my field work kicks off. The sites are beautiful, but wow, some of them are a major hike UPHILL! so I'm sure i'll get into excellent shape. We visited a few today and my legs are not happy with me right now! i'll have to take pics and email them out some time.
Write up your negative results, they are still important, as you say. Rant away too, because I understand! My senior thesis published negative results (i.e. no correlations between spider diversity and plant diversity on a large scale). I didn't think it would be publishable, but my supervisor took the stance that if you get negative results they are as important as positive. It narrows down the focus of your study, and as you mentioned can prevent others from wasting funds replicating your research. It also does not mean that you are unsuccessful. Results are results and valuable anyway.
well, back to work for me, i'm writing up a protocol proposal for how i'm going to collect the insects and what I expect to find.
take care
p.s. i thought you might appreciate this story: cait's on her psychiatry rotation and has had some interesting patients. well, last week she was working with a new psychiatrist, who had made some incorrect assumptions about her. while doing an initial exam on a female lesbian patient, the doc asked my sister if she was a lesbian and available, because she is unmarried and almost 25. cait was flabbergasted and the patient kept smiling at her. gosh, poor girl! anyways, she set them both straight in her matter of fact way...but i couldn't believe the doc would do that to her! she has follow up exams to do on that patient and is dreading it -- she seems to keep getting all the weird ones (both patients, and docs!)
Laura, You know I enjoy your lab meetings!! That's why despite being a regular absentee from other lab meetings, I attend yours. I am glad you read my blog..will keep you uptodate on writing.
Hope you are enjoying your holiday.
Considering the fact that I might attempt to practice medicine in the US, I am not entirely enamoured by Cait's story.
The reward system might work, will give it till the end of the week and see what happens.
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