Doing Science Design, Analysis, and Communication of Scientific Research

by Valiela, Ivan

• ISBN13: 9780195079623
• ISBN10: 0195079620
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-01-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Doing Science offers a rare compendium of practical advice based on how working scientists practice their craft. It covers each stage of research, from formulating questions and gathering data to developing experiments and analyzing results and finally to the many ways for presenting results. Drawing on his extensive experience both as a researcher and a research mentor, Ivan Valiela has written a lively and concise survey of everything a beginning scientist needs to know to succeed in the field. He includes chapters on scientific data, statistical methods, and experimental designs, and much of the book is devoted to presenting final results. He gives valuable suggestions for improving scientific writing, for preparing scientific talks, and devotes three chapters to hands-on advice for presenting data in charts, tables, and graphs. Anyone beginning a scientific career, or anyone who advises students in research, will find Doing Science an invaluable source of advice.

Table of Contents

Obtaining Scientific Information	3	(26)
Introduction	3	(1)
Empirical Science	4	(14)
Deductive Science	18	(11)
Elements of Scientific Data and Tests of Questions	29	(20)
Kinds of Data	29	(3)
Accuracy and Precision	32	(1)
Frequency Distributions	33	(2)
Descriptive Statistics	35	(5)
Distributions and Transformations of Data	40	(3)
Tests of Hypotheses	43	(6)
Statistical Analyses	49	(30)
Analysis of Variance	50	(9)
Regression	59	(4)
Correlation	63	(4)
Analysis of Frequencies	67	(1)
Summary of Statistical Analyses	68	(1)
Transformations of Data	69	(10)
Principles of Research Design	79	(20)
Desirable Properties of Research Design	79	(1)
Design of Treatments	80	(4)
Design of Layout	84	(10)
Response Design	94	(1)
Sensible Experimental Design	95	(4)
Communication of Scientific Information: Writing	99	(28)
The Matter of Publication	99	(4)
The Matter of Which Language to Use	103	(5)
Writing Scientific English	108	(19)
The Scientific Paper	127	(20)
Organization of a Scientific Paper	127	(10)
The Life History of a Scientific Paper	137	(10)
Other Means of Scientific Communication	147	(24)
The Scientific Talk	147	(7)
The Poster Presentation	154	(4)
The Proposal	158	(13)
Presenting Data in Tables	171	(12)
Why Show Data in Tables?	171	(3)
The Elements of Tables	174	(2)
Layout of Tables	176	(3)
Tables That Need Not Be Tables	179	(4)
Presenting Data in Figures	183	(36)
Graphicaal Perception	188	(1)
Types of Figures	189	(19)
Principles of Graphical Representation	208	(11)
Case Studies of Graphical Data Presentation	219	(36)
Bivariate Graphs	220	(13)
Three-Variable Graphs	233	(1)
Histograms	234	(5)
Bar Graphs	239	(6)
Pie Diagrams	245	(10)
Perceptions and Criticisms of Science	255	(30)
Current Perceptions About Science	255	(9)
Science and Some Modern Critics	264	(3)
Sharpening Perceptions About Science	267	(18)
Index	285