I know several researchers who like to write during the execution of work. In last two years I have generated plenty of data but nothing on paper. When I start to compile, I feel like I lost some files, pdfs etc. Sometimes I forget what I did to produce some result. It seems everything is scattered over computer. I admit that I am not well managed. In many laboratories Professors/group leaders love to write and you just have to follow their instructions and produce data and transfer to him. In my case its not like this. I would appreciate your comments on this topic.
This is something which is done by personal flavor. No matter what method you use, I found it very useful to organise the results which accumulate over time in a way they can be used for publications, lectures, posters etc. This means that besides having all the data in my lab book, I work them up so I have them in a digital way once a specific experiment is finished. I usually make a sheet writing down what I did, which protocols I used, corresponding dates in the lab book and add the digital data or images and my conclusions from it. This way I can relatively fast access the single experiments without having to digg into my lab book and having to find out what I thought two years ago.
I start to write before study collecting the papers about my study. I write a proposal before study including abstract, objective, material and methods, statistics, interpretation of results.
This is something which is done by personal flavor. No matter what method you use, I found it very useful to organise the results which accumulate over time in a way they can be used for publications, lectures, posters etc. This means that besides having all the data in my lab book, I work them up so I have them in a digital way once a specific experiment is finished. I usually make a sheet writing down what I did, which protocols I used, corresponding dates in the lab book and add the digital data or images and my conclusions from it. This way I can relatively fast access the single experiments without having to digg into my lab book and having to find out what I thought two years ago.
Getting into the habit of jotting things down on paper is a great habit that all researchers should get to practice. Your memory can fail you, but paper doesn't lie!
I basically agree with Christian Praetorius's comment. Organization is a big part of being able to pull together your research into a manuscript, and being able to efficiently answer referee comments that will come later. Often the outcomes of a research project are different than the goals that were originally sought. Often there is data and results that arises that are unexpected and interesting. Because of this I find that writing "as-I-go" is not productive; however, creating figures and tables that summarize the results as I proceed allow for flexibility in writing. This also includes writing down the methodologies.
I personally find that organizing your data and writing into a well structured folder hierarchy on a computer is absolutely necessary. This structure often consists of folders called, for example: 00_Raw_Data, 01_Analysis, 02_Figures, 03_Tables, 04_Manuscript_JournalName. All of this reside in a parent folder whose name clearly describes the relevant research project. Once I have accumulated what I believe to be enough interesting results, I then collect the figures and tables, and decide upon the message(s) that I want to convey over the manuscript (or decide that it not yet time to publish the work). This setup allows me to be flexible with my own work, but also when writing with collaborators.
Ultimately, you will find a system that work for you and that may take some time.
I think it depends on the area of study. When the collect of data and pictures are a big part of the article, so it will be better to have this organised and finished before start thinking on writing. I prefer to have both handwriting and digital form, as C. Lewis said. Our brain process differently when you use the keyboard and the hand to write. I found that great discoveries and good questions common arise when I'm using paper and pen. A good way to start after two years compiling material is generate good scientific questions that your research can help answer.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Bioinformatics
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology