Experimental design for biologists / David J. Glass, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Why you need to read a little philosophy first: the philosophy of science governs the practice of science -- Defining scientific research -- Why do science? What is science for? The need for inductive reasoning -- The first step to engaging in scientific research: establishing your framework -- A short history of philosophy relevant to scientific method: how we got to where we are today and the problem of induction -- The sky is red hypothesis: examining the hypothesis-falsification framework -- The hypothesis as a framework for scientific projects: is critical rationalism critical enough? -- Scientific settings in which a hypothesis-falsification framework is not feasible -- The question and the model: forming an inductive framework for scientific projects (by getting to Carnegie Hall) -- Advantages to the question/model-building inductive framework -- A biological example of the question/model-building framework -- Some concluding remarks on the philosophy of experimentation: warnings and exhortations -- The system -- System validation -- Choice of a model organism or technique: validation experiments -- System validation requirements for distinct experimental readouts -- System specificity: specificity of detection and specificity of perturbation -- System sensitivity: minimizing signal to noise to improve sensitivity of detection -- System stability -- Determining conditions to measure efficacy -- System validation: determining conditions to measure safety -- Definition of the experiment: the framework for an individual experiment -- The negative control: distinct types -- The requirement for the positive control -- Method and reagent controls -- Subject controls -- Assumption controls -- Experimentalist controls: establishing a claim to an objective perspective -- Biological replicates, technical replicates, experimental repeats, time courses (repeats over time), and dose responses -- Summary of the components of the individual experiment -- Building the model: representations of the experimental data -- Data filtration -- Model induction: asking follow-up questions and finishing the project by writing the manuscript -- A short synopsis -- Designing the experimental project: a biological example.

"Experimental Design for Biologists is a unique and successful handbook on the theory and practice of effective design of scientific experiments, based on a well-received course by the author. This second edition is entirely reorganized, rewritten, and includes new material and figures. The material is presented in seven parts: Philosophy of Scientific Experimentation, Mapping Out the Project, System Validation, Experimental Design, Examples, What Comes After, and Putting It All Together. Experimental Design for Biologists, Second Edition, is an essential source in designing a sound research plan, critical to the success of graduate students"--