Applying the Scientific Method. How do you come up with good research ideas? Scientific Method "To develop working ideas efficiently, I try to fail as

Applying the Scientific Method

How do you come up with good research ideas? Scientific Method

"To develop working ideas efficiently, I try to fail as fast as I can".Richard Feynman

Observe

Ask Questions

Speculate

Experiment

New ideas for research come from experience and imagination

A variation of the scientific method based on proposal writing, research & publication

An idea

Write proposal

Conduct research

Write papers& speak

new ideas

new ideas

Proposal, research and paper writing search to support scientific method

Searching the internet is integral part to every part of this process

A slide digression: the anatomy of a scientific paper.

• Introduction with thesis and hypotheses• Precedents (also in introduction)• Experimental details• Results of experiments• Discussion of results relative to thesis and

hypotheses• Conclusions • Citations and cited papers

Citations impact for authors: Hirsch Index

• measures both productivity and impact of publications of an author

• List all of an authors papers ranked by the number of citations

• Number them from 1 at the top.

• The point on the list where the number of the paper exceeds the number of citations is the Hirsch index.

The process starts with experience and learning: Observations

Conducting

researchas

undergraduate or graduate

Conducting

researchas

undergraduate or graduate

Making observations

& asking questions

Making observations

& asking questions

See if you can answer

question or if it has been

answered by others

See if you can answer

question or if it has been

answered by others

No answer to your

question. Then propose

a study

No answer to your

question. Then propose

a study

But how to get started having ideas?• Get an idea notebook• Couple Observing & Asking Questions together

– Go to the library and look through pictorial tables of contents (with an idea.

– Go to seminars– Go to work-shops (on new subjects)– Take classes (ask “obvious” questions or at

least write them down)• Identify & define a “problem”

– Google– Reviews– Experts

Write all ideas down & never censor

Next Step? Refine ideas.• Brainstorm• Re-phrase the question, problem or idea• Break it down into components• What do you know about the question, problem or

idea? » just the facts» Do they make sense?

• Brainstorm solutions • Map approaches to “solving” the question, problem or

idea• Down-select to one you can do relatively quickly.• Has it already been done (literature searching)?????


An idea

Write proposal

Conduct research

Write papers& speak

new ideas

new ideas


General anatomy of a Proposal

Thesis & statement of problem

Thesis &

statement of problem

Technical approach:

project plan

Technical approach:

project plan

Facilities & Investigator Credentials


benefits to education &

society


society

Remember your ideas will change as you write your proposal & as you conduct research

Proposal must be original; not a repeat of another’s work



Thesis &


Technical approach:

project plan

Technical approach:

project plan




society


society

1) Must be original

2) Must have a clear thesis

3) Must have testable hypotheses with predictions

Thesis & statement of problem1) Must be original, but provide precedents for key steps

2) Must have a clear thesis

3) Must have testable hypotheses with predictions

- search internet exhaustively

- Early in proposal. For example, “A new method for creating polymer electrolytes through Friedel Craft Sulfonylation.”

Sulfonylations will allow addition of sulfonic acid groups without crosslinking into insoluble masses.

Example: Ring Opening Polymerization of Disilaoxacyclopentanes

Problem: sol-gel materials shrink from solvent evaporation & capillary force stresses collapsing pores

Thesis: Eliminate shrinkage by preparing liquid monomers with two strained disilaoxacyclopentane rings for solvent free, non-shrinking sol-gel.

Hypotheses (must be disproven):1)Monomers cannot be synthesized2)Disilaoxacyclopentane ring is not strained enough to provide driving force for polymerization 3)The monomer cannot be prepared as a liquid4)Polymerizations will be accompanied by significant shrinkage.

Example: Ring Opening Polymerization of Disilaoxacyclopentanes


Need to assure reviewers of proposal that (based on precedents and logic):1) Monomers based on one disilaoxacyclopentanes readily polymerize2) None of the proposed monomers or anything like them have ever been made3) Reasons for expecting the monomer to melt at low temperatures4) That Ring Opening polymerizations reduce shrinkage5) that the resulting resins will be thermosets suitable for encapsulation

Precedents are the literature papers that provide foundation for your idea.

Who do you cite in your proposal (or paper)?

• The original (oldest) paper for each precedent ( Not just the most recent!!!!!)

• Provide a citation for everything that is not common knowledge. When in doubt provide a citation.

• Cite primary literature: peer reviewed papers• Do not the web, not reviews, not encyclopedias

nor textbooks.• You may have 20 – 40 citations for a

communication and 300-500 in a review or proposal.


Thesis &


Technical approach:

project plan

Technical approach:

project plan




society


society

1) Details to prove the science behind your idea is good

2) What must be done first, second, third.... etc.

3) What procedures and instruments must be used and how.


Technical Approach & Project Plan1) Proof of Good Science

2) Logical approach to thesis and testing hypotheses

3) No bottle necks that kill project

-Details of the science involved- coupled with literature precedents

-Clear, concise plan (include flow diagram or Gant chart)

Do not hinge entire project on one single prediction

Ring Opening Polymerization of Disilaoxacyclopentanes Project Plan


Monomer synthesis:1) Disilylation of bis-acetylenefollowed by cyclization2) alternative: silyl anion from disilaethane

Monomer synthesis:1) Disilylation of bis-acetylenefollowed by cyclization2) alternative: silyl anion from disilaethane

Model Ring opening polymerization studies with tetramethyldisila-cyclopentane

Model Ring opening polymerization studies with tetramethyldisila-cyclopentane

Year 1 Year 2

Polymerization studies of targeted monomers

Polymerization studies of targeted monomers

Characterization of polymersCharacterization of polymers

Neat polymerization & encapsulationsNeat polymerization & encapsulations

Year 3

Evaluation of shrinkageEvaluation of shrinkage


Thesis &


Technical approach:

project plan

Technical approach:

project plan




society


society

1) Describe what laboratory space you have (hoods, floor space)

2) Describe your access to key instrumentation

3) Curriculum vitae for the principle investigators with lists of publications, awards, funding, education, etc.



Thesis &


Technical approach:

project plan

Technical approach:

project plan




society


society

1) Benefits from new science or technology- reduce greenhouse gases, cure cancer, reduce costs by 25%. The more quantitative the better

2) How the project will be benefiting education of undergraduates (particularly underrepresented groups), training of graduates and postdocs.



An idea

Write proposal

Conduct research

Write papers& speak

new ideas

new ideas


Most important characteristics of good research

• Original – with careful, multiple surveys of literature• There is a thesis – question(s) to be answered by

research• Work can be broken down into hypotheses that can

be tested. Do not become emotionally invested in experimental outcomes.

• Experiments are carefully designed and characterizations are complete.

• Complete experimentals with observations are recorded.

• Finally, the results are communicated (preferably through a peer reviewed publication & presentations)

Traditional approach to conducting research

Advisor Advisor

Graduate studentGraduate student

Instructions Results

Graduate student:1) learns techniques2) assimilates fundamental principles3) is not trained in scientific method.

Research project should train graduate in scientific method

Fundamental data and

relationships

Fundamental data and

relationships

Problem solving skillsProblem solving skills

Experimentation by scientific method

1)Thesis2)testable hypotheses

Experimentation by scientific method

1)Thesis2)testable hypotheses

Communication skills Helps to:

1) refine and2)test ideas

Communication skills Helps to:

1) refine and2)test ideas

Creative Process 1)Identification of new ideas

2)Development of ideas

Creative Process 1)Identification of new ideas

2)Development of ideas

Advisor/Guide


An idea

Write proposal

Conduct research

Write papers& speak

new ideas

new ideas


Papers and presentations• Key step in scientific method• communication of results to peers – peer review to correct errors and teach– citation of papers measures true impact of research– invited lectures & seminars measure of impact

• Establishes credibility in scientific fields (improves chances for future funding)

• Develops career with editor positions, awards & recognition

Writing papers• Start early – use to help drive and correct your

research, identify missing pieces.• Identify appropriate journals for your research• Find citation impact of journals on web of science• Read instructions to authors and read papers in

targeted journal to see what experimental proofs are required

• Obtain template or copy format from recent paper.

Writing papers• Start early – use to help drive and correct your

research, identify missing pieces.• Identify appropriate journals for your research• Find citation impact of journals on web of science• Read instructions to authors and read papers in

targeted journal to see what experimental proofs are required

• Obtain template or copy format from recent paper.

Citation Impact Matters

Accounts Chemical research

CI: 22

ACS NanoCI: 11

Adv. Mater13.9 Angew. Chem

Int. Ed.13.5

Chem Rev. 41

Chem Comm.6

Chem Soc Rev26

Chem Asian J.6

J. Am. Chem. Soc.9.9

Nano Lett13.8

Nanoscale6

New J. Chem2.6

Nature Chem25

Small8.4

Writing the paper• Get experimentals done early-easy to follow

experimentals can be very good for your citation impact.

• Clear thesis and predictions or hypotheses in intro. • Be sure to cite first and most important precendents-

they will often be included in your reviewers.• Title must be very descriptive• Always have someone else proof your paper • Use grammarly.com for english editing.

Submitting the paper

• Always online• No errors – they can get your paper rejected• Consistent graphics• Carefully write the letter to the editor

explaining why this paper is worthy of his or her journal

• If you are rejected write the editor back and diplomatically argue the point.

Reviews & Rejections• You will have manuscripts rejected, don’t let it bother

you• You will get nasty reviews, don’t let it bother you• Do not be afraid to argue about rejection• If accepted with revisions, carefully make corrections

and list them in a letter to editor indicating how you met the reviewers required changes.

• If you disagree with a reviewer, explain to the editor why you think a change is not needed.

• If the editor still will not accept the paper, then submit to another journal on your list. Rewrite your letter to the editor.

A recent review of one of my papers• Reviewer(s)' Comments to Author:• Recommendation: Do not publish.• Comments: The authors report the syntheses of OBP and fluorescent OBP particles and use them to create non-

porous coatings on ceramic filters. The fluorescent particles were used to image the coatings to confirm that, with supports having small pores, well-defined coatings were obtained.

• Formation of spherical polysilsesquioxane nanoparticles, even under various conditions, does not carry novelty since the literature dealing with such processes is already abundant. Also, thin films formed from polysilsesquioxanes with various organic bridging units have been intensively studied and applied, particularly for low dielectric applications, over the past decade. It seems that significant investigation into possible applications for the coatings mentioned in this manuscript is imperative before the manuscript can be considered for publication in any scientific journal.

• Questions and Comments:• 1. The introduction mentions low-temperature sintering as one of the motivations for this study, and, later in the

manuscript, it is mentioned that no sintering was required for the coatings formed. Further elaboration regarding the sintering process and advantages/disadvantages of the membranes formed via sintering process is desired.

• 2. Please provide actual NMR spectra for the synthesized compounds.• 3. Page 4, line 25 to page 5, line 8: The synthetic methodology and NMR solvent are different from that found in

citation #31 and, therefore, the statement “spectroscopically the same as that reported in literature” should be omitted.

• 3. Page 8, line 20: The yield for the particle synthesis is given as 168% with no explanation given in this or later sections. Please provide a reason for this outcome.

• 4. Page 8: Please provide the correlation curve for the DLS measurements.

The scientific method based on proposal writing, research & publication

An idea

Write proposal

Conduct research

Write papers& speak

new ideas

new ideas


Documents

Applying the Scientific Method. How do you come up with good research ideas? Scientific Method "To develop working ideas efficiently, I try to fail as