Experiment!: Planning, Implementing and Interpreting

The book Experiment!: Planning, Implementing and Interpreting focuses on general research skills, such as adopting a scientific mindset, learning how to plan meaningful experiments and understanding the fundamentals of collecting and interpreting data. It is directed to anyone engaged in experiments, especially Ph.D. and masters students just starting to create and develop their own experiments.

Paul Wolstenholme-Hogg, Epistemeo, Cambridge, UK, wrote in his review for ChemistryWorld that the book is perhaps the most informative and guiding book ever written for the practicing experimentalist. He is fascinated that the history of each scientific method and the struggle to establish it are described. He highly recommends this “well written account of modern scientific practice and how that is now designed and steered by statistical methods” to all who are involved in scientific research and development.

According to Javajunki‘s Amazon comment, Experiment! “does a fantastic job with the “big picture” and allows the reader to gain a greater understanding of what type of research fits where, what to use when and what types of questions can be answered using which type of alternatives.”

Two-kids-mom thinks that “In a world where many journalists consistently confuse causation with correlation, completely misunderstand sample size and scare the wits out of people by using bad statistics I wish this could be required reading. I would also like those in charge of education to read this book, as it would cut down enormously on wasted money and effort based on poorly designed and executed studies. Well… we all can dream.”

She continues by stating, “I am very impressed with the clarity of the writing and the methodical way setting up, conducting and analyzing experiments is addressed. Some topics were covered so well (central limit effect and confidence intervals) that they gave me insight into better ways to present those topics to my own students.”

Dave English says in his Amazon review that Experiment! “allows you to start on the real work of the PhD, which is getting new research done that you can publish, quicker and smarter. … it’s a clearly written, well-illustrated and fully referenced intelligent guide to going from taking courses, to doing real research.”

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