How can science experiments be improved

The more similar repeated measurements are, the more reliable the results. Improving reliability is a different matter to testing it. The reliability of single measurements is not improved through repetition , but through the design of the experiment. Implementing a method that reduces random errors will improve reliability. However, the entire result of the experiment can be improved through repetition and analysis, as this may reduce the effect of random errors.

However, if an experiment is invalid because the control variables are not constant, then they may be affecting measurements in an unpredictable way, making the result unreliable. Accuracy is much easier to define: the accuracy of an experiment is how close the final result is to the correct or accepted value. The closer it is, the more accurate the experiment. The accuracy can be improved through the experimental method if each single measurement is made more accurate, e. Implementing a method that reduces systematic errors will improve accuracy.

Note that, precision is a separate aspect which is not directly related to accuracy. Precision refers to the maximum resolution or the number of significant figures in a measurement. For example, a clock has a precision of 1 s, whereas a stopwatch has a precision of 0. Whether or not a measurement is accurate does not depend on the precision. Reliability and accuracy are separate aspects of an experiment and the relationship between them is sometimes misunderstood.

A result can be reliable and inaccurate if you get the same incorrect answer all the time e. You can also improve the logic of your explanation by using words that make your argument clear, such as because, since, due to the fact that, as a result, therefore, consequently, etc. A good discussion of the research question will begin by restating the question or statement of what needed to be found in the experiment. It will then give an answer to the question, what the findings of the experiment suggest as the best answer to the question.

Since the question is a way of capturing the unknowns, you should also show how the experiment enabled you to solve the unknowns and thus answer the question. Be sure that your discussion establishes a direct link between the solution of the unknowns and the research question. The overall goal of the lab was to solve the research problem. The solution to the problem must be presented so that it is clear to the reader and so that it makes a direct connection between the answer to the research question the solution to the unknowns and the solution to the research problem.

Begin with a brief reminder of what the research problem was it is described in the Introduction. Then describe what you propose as a solution to the problem. Finally, show how the answer to the research question led you to your proposed solution to the problem.

A low rating in this area means that the instructor thinks that there are other interesting issues you could have discussed about your findings. Other issues that may be appropriate to address are 1 any problems that occurred or sources of error in your lab procedure that may account for any unexpected results; 2 how your findings solution to the problem compared with the solutions of other students in the lab and an explanation for any differences check with the lab instructor first to make sure this is permissible ; 3 suggestions for improving the lab.

A good Conclusion takes you back to the larger purpose of the lab: to learn something about the scientific concept, the primary reason for doing the lab. The Conclusion is your opportunity to show your lab instructor what you learned by doing lab and writing the lab report.

You can improve your Conclusion first by making a clearer statement of what you learned. Go back to the scientific concept--theory or principle or important scientific procedure--that the lab is about. If you are not sure if you have stated what you have learned directly enough, read your first paragraph to see if your reader would have any doubt about what you have learned.

If there is any doubt, you may begin the paragraph by saying something like, "In this lab, I learned that Simply saying you learned something is not necessarily going to convince the reader that you actually did learn it. Demonstrate that you did indeed learn what you claimed to have learned by adding more details to provide an elaboration on the basic statement. Read over the Results and Discussion and jot down some notes for further details on what you have learned.

Look carefully at the statement of what you have learned and underline any words or phrases that you could "unpack," explain in more detail. Use this brainstorming as a way of helping you to find details that make your Conclusion more convincing. If you think you need to do more to convince your reader that you have learned what you say you have learned, provide more details in the Conclusion.

For example, compare what you know now with what you knew before doing the lab. Describe specific parts of the procedure or data that contributed to your learning. Discuss how you may be able to apply what you have learned in the lab to other situations in the future.

There may be more that you have learned about from the lab experience than the scientific concept of the lab. If so, write a paragraph describing it. For example:. Every source that you formally used to write your lab report should appear in the References. These include the lab manual, textbooks, technical documents, any source you use and cite in the report.

Different fields tend to have different styles of documentation, that is, the way you cite a source and the way you represent the source in the References. For example, biologists use the documentation style of the Council of Biological Editors, and chemists use the style of the American Chemical Society.

If you don't know what style you are expected to use in your reports it's often given in the lab manual, check with your lab instructor. Tables and figures should be done to professional standards, such as proper headings and captions and numbering. Style in this case refers to your choice of words and sentence structure. The style of science writing strives to be clear and to the point.

You should avoid using grand thesaurus words and long, artfully convoluted sentences. As to choice of words, science writing uses words that its audience other scientists in the field will readily understand.

To outsiders, the scientific vocabulary of this language looks like a lot of jargon. But the point is that scientific words that are obscure to outsiders are usually not obscure to the insiders that comprise the scientific audience.

Your writing should sound like scientific writing. This means that you should go ahead and use proper scientific terminology, but you should also choose plain, everyday words for non-scientific terminology. Your sentences should be clear and readable for your educated audience.

Avoid excessively long and meandering sentences. But don't use a lot of very short sentences, either. Vary your sentence length. If you have difficulties with making your sentences readable, read over them aloud, noting the sentences that seem to be too long or are hard to read.

Rewrite those sentences so that they flow more easily. Also, avoid using quotations. Scientists very rarely quote from source materials; they do so only when a particular wording is important to the point they are trying to make. Using direct quotations is appropriate to English papers, but not to lab reports. Spelling errors. First, run the spell-checker on your computer. That should take care of almost all of your spelling problems.

Sometimes, however, there are words that the spell-checker does not catch because they are words that are actually spelled correctly but are used for the wrong meaning, like using "to" for "too" and "that" for "than.

Grammar errors. It's important that you understand that the source of grammar problems is not, for most of us, a matter of not knowing the rules of grammar. So don't worry about that. The source of most grammatical errors is simply not seeing them in your own writing.

We usually read our own writing for the meaning that the words convey and not for the words themselves. Correcting grammar problems, then, is usually a matter of learning to read our writing differently.

Read your lab report at least twice specifically looking for errors in grammar. You should focus on the words and sentences themselves. You don't need any special knowledge for detecting and correcting most grammar problems.

In order to create a successful science experiment that produces valid results, it is important to follow a process known as the scientific method.

To determine a focus for an experiment, identify a problem that must be solved or a question that needs to be answered through experimentation. Bad experiments move metrics by confusing or tricking your users. They make things harder for your users, rather than solving underlying problems.

Good experiments are conceived as bets. You know they have a chance to fail, but based on the info you have available, it is a good investment to make.

We updated him on our experiment but his mind was elsewhere. You will be glad to hear that my experiment is working out finely. This book, her first mature experiment in writing, settles the question of her ability to write. An aim is a single statement that describe the purpose or reason for why we are conducting an experiment. An aim should be brief and concise.