Research project

[deleted801953]

I'm new to research and I've been assigned a mini project. What happens after I get results- positive or negative?
Should I continue doing multiple mini projects were results could be found sooner than a single larger project were I would probably continue working on for a couple of years and have no results?
I understand that experience is most necessary in such situations, just curious.

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[BeddingfieldMD]

Anything is helpful, and small projects are fine especially if early in high school or college. As you get more research under your belt, though, try connecting with faculty who can serve as a long-term research advisor. Your hard work has better chances of successfully transitioning to a publication in such a relationship.

As for what to do with results, your faculty advisor will take care of that. I assume you're doing this mini-project with someone experienced--and not just on your own out of your basement, right?


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[jpkb24]

I'm new to research and I've been assigned a mini project. What happens after I get results- positive or negative?
Should I continue doing multiple mini projects were results could be found sooner than a single larger project were I would probably continue working on for a couple of years and have no results?
I understand that experience is most necessary in such situations, just curious.

It's not necessarily how big the project is, but rather your commitment to research (and more specifically, the lab). Stick with one lab, make sure you are communicating well with the PI, and come time for applications, you'll have a strong experience in research to present.

 

[aldol16]

Okay, when we assign mini-projects to undergrads, it's mostly to teach them how to do science in a comfortable setting where they aren't just shoved into the deep end. That's why they're mini-projects. Usually, they're related to what we as post-docs and graduate students are doing. So it's part of a larger project. Once you get results, you'll probably be asked to follow up and you'll be "initiated" into the next phase of your scientific training. You gradually take on bigger and bigger roles - that's how it's supposed to work.

Now, how science works in general is that we are always working on small experiments that are part of bigger projects. We don't just keep doing small experiments until we think we have enough small projects to publish it as a whole project. That's like trying to solve a puzzle without knowing the picture. As scientists, we start with the big picture. Let's call that point B. That's when we think we can publish. We're at point A. Then we think of many small steps to get from point A to point B. We set milestones and checkpoints and we carry out all the requisite experiments. Sometimes we assign a few small steps to an undergrad we're working with.

 

[Goro]

You show you results to your PI, and then follow up.

The whole of this is that that you learn something about the scientific method.

I'm new to research and I've been assigned a mini project. What happens after I get results- positive or negative?
Should I continue doing multiple mini projects were results could be found sooner than a single larger project were I would probably continue working on for a couple of years and have no results?
I understand that experience is most necessary in such situations, just curious.

 

[PerioResearcher]

Have you decided what type of format your study will follow?. I mean, will it be an Observational Study, Experimental Study, Diagnostic Study or Systematic Review?.

Speaking about research, I would like to make a request to members who have access to their University's digital library. My request is: I can search my university's digital library for articles from publications such as Wiley Online etc if your library does not subscribe to them and you in turn can look up articles for me. In other words we can help each other IF our respective libraries do not subscribe to a journal.

Let me know if any of you would like to form a collaboration in this regard.