Finding Your Way In Science

by Lemuel, Moye A., Ph.D.

• ISBN13: 9781412033886
• ISBN10: 1412033888
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-09-11
• Publisher: Trafford on Demand Pub

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
Table of Contents	xv
Introduction	xxiii
Nurturing the Investigator	1	(32)
A Wounded Madness	1	(3)
The Requirement of New Skills	2	(2)
Survival vs. Prosperity	4	(4)
Why Did You Do This?	5	(1)
Inadequacy of the Survival Mentality	6	(2)
Taking Stock of Yourself	8	(3)
What is West Virginia?	9	(2)
Productivity and Professional Development	11	(5)
Old vs. New Paradigms	12	(1)
Traitors and Heroes	13	(3)
Get Some Rest	16	(2)
Long Term Vision	18	(1)
Develop Perseverance	19	(3)
Expand Your Knowledge Base	22	(1)
Moral Excellence	23	(1)
Family Development	24	(1)
Collegiality	25	(3)
``Educate-able''	25	(1)
Be A Colleague to Make a Colleague	26	(1)
Gentle Communicator	27	(1)
Manage your Anger	28	(2)
Conclusions	30	(3)
References	32	(1)
Investigators and Research Principles	33	(38)
The Heart of a Researcher	33	(1)
Confirmatory vs. Exploratory Analyses	34	(2)
Hypothesis Driven Investigation	34	(1)
Discovery	34	(2)
Good Experimental Design and Execution	36	(2)
The Compromise of Sample-based Research	38	(17)
Dealing with Sampling Error	39	(1)
Simple Random Sampling	39	(2)
Generalizations to Populations	41	(3)
Untrustworthy Estimators	44	(3)
The Valid Rendered Invalid	47	(1)
Exploratory vs. Confirmatory Analyses	48	(2)
Untrustworthy Estimators in Medicine	50	(2)
Strip Mining the Dataset	52	(1)
Subgroup Analyses	53	(1)
Analyzing the Entire Population	53	(2)
The Utility of Exploratory Analyses	55	(1)
The Process of Analysis Triage	56	(1)
The Pros and Cons of P-values	57	(2)
Multiple Testing Issues	59	(4)
Familywise Error Rates	60	(1)
The Bonferroni Procedure	60	(2)
Differential Alpha Allocation	62	(1)
Sample Size Computations	63	(1)
Conclusions	64	(7)
References	67	(4)
The Investigator and Administration	71	(30)
The Proposition	71	(1)
Administrative Oxygen	72	(1)
Experience vs. Expertise	72	(1)
Learn Your Administrative Surroundings	73	(5)
Institutional vs. Personal Perspectives	73	(2)
Focusing on Your Local Environment	75	(2)
Be Familiar with the Rules	77	(1)
Mentoring Committees	78	(2)
The Genesis of Research Team Leadership	80	(2)
When in Command.....Command	81	(1)
``Business is Not My Business!''	82	(2)
Three Rules for Basic Project Management	84	(14)
Know the Subject Matter	85	(4)
Know Your People	89	(5)
Effective Communication	94	(4)
Fiscal Management	98	(1)
Conclusions	99	(2)
The Investigator as Collaborator	101	(58)
Source of Esteem	102	(4)
Plunge In	106	(4)
Mastery	110	(8)
Learn at Your Level	111	(1)
Systematic Reviews	112	(3)
The ``Dumb Question''	115	(3)
Teach in Addition to Being Taught	118	(1)
Reliability and the Junior Investigator	118	(5)
Do What You Said That You Would Do	119	(2)
Meat Hooks	121	(1)
Above and Beyond	122	(1)
Falling Behind	123	(6)
Coping Strategy #1	123	(3)
Coping Strategy #2	126	(2)
Coping Strategy #3	128	(1)
Accountability	129	(3)
``It Is All My Fault''	130	(2)
Becoming vs. Being	132	(1)
Engage in the Action	133	(7)
Be Persuasive	134	(3)
Sense of Humor	137	(3)
Subcontracts	140	(2)
Documentation	142	(10)
Three Reasons to Document	142	(2)
Hard Copy Documentation	144	(2)
Computer Record Documentation	146	(1)
Residentialism	146	(1)
Generating Quantitative Reports	147	(5)
Respect Your Own Judgment	152	(2)
Senior Investigators and Castigation	154	(3)
The Intimidation Factor	154	(2)
Listen	156	(1)
Conclusions	157	(2)
References	158	(1)
The Investigator and Presentations	159	(20)
Introduction	159	(1)
Sources of Information	160	(1)
The Rise and Fall of Stage Fright	160	(4)
The Reasons for Presentation Anxiety	161	(1)
The Response of the Audience	162	(1)
Defeating Stage Fright: The Hunkpapa Sioux	163	(1)
Preparation	164	(3)
The Layman Rule	165	(2)
Walking the Plank	167	(1)
Final Preparations -- 72 Hours to Go	168	(1)
Reverse Radar	169	(1)
Two Minutes to Go	170	(2)
Giving the Presentation	172	(7)
Countenance	172	(1)
Slideshows	173	(1)
When You Make a Mistake	174	(1)
Finishing the Talk	175	(3)
Final Comments	178	(1)
References	178	(1)
Ethics and the Investigator	179	(42)
The Scope of This Chapter	179	(1)
Ethics	180	(2)
Innate Value	182	(1)
Undertows	183	(2)
Case Histories	185	(5)
Case History 1: Childlike Emotions	185	(2)
Case History 2: The Patchwork Mouse	187	(2)
All Human Together	189	(1)
Cite your work carefully	190	(8)
Deft Thefts	191	(2)
Theft During Grant and Manuscript Reviews	193	(1)
Cite Honestly	194	(1)
Spinning Results	195	(3)
Sexual Harassment	198	(1)
Community Research and Obligations	199	(3)
Patient Obligations	200	(1)
Community Obligations	201	(1)
Difficult Superiors	202	(8)
Delivering a Message	203	(2)
Personal Abuse	205	(1)
Coping From the Inside Out	206	(4)
Lose-lose Scenarios	210	(1)
The Unethical Chief	210	(8)
Ethical Lapse?	211	(2)
Detection	213	(2)
Trust, but Verify	215	(1)
Delegation	216	(1)
The Confrontation	217	(1)
Final Comments	218	(3)
References	220	(1)
The Junior Faculty Member	221	(22)
Academics 101	221	(2)
Defining and Evaluating Productivity	223	(1)
Teaching	223	(1)
Research	224	(5)
Publications	225	(3)
Grants	228	(1)
Community Service	229	(1)
Promotion and Tenure	230	(2)
Promotion	231	(1)
Tenure	232	(1)
Diligent Days	232	(3)
Balance and Discipline	233	(1)
Developing a Work-Lifestyle	234	(1)
Teaching and Character	235	(2)
Publishing and Character	237	(3)
Take Charge	240	(3)
The Investigator as Leader	243	(32)
Seeing Yourself as a Leader	243	(1)
Traits of Scientific Leadership	244	(1)
Meeting the Challenge of Leadership	245	(9)
The Twin Challenges to Leadership	246	(1)
The Genius of Leadership	247	(5)
Defeating the Peter Principle	252	(2)
Leadership Traits	254	(11)
Knowledge and Resourcefulness	255	(2)
Imagination	257	(1)
Keep short-term and long-term perspectives	258	(1)
Develop administrative skill and diligence	259	(1)
Boldness and achievability	260	(1)
Master, and Take Advantage of your Mastery	261	(3)
Developing Other Leadership Traits	264	(1)
Source of the Best Ideas	265	(5)
Learning to Lose	270	(2)
Final Comments on Leadership	272	(3)
Nova Progenies	275	(6)
Author's Background	281	(2)
Index	283