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Summary
A fair trial allows meaningful results to be obtained and valid conclusions to be drawn, based on data that is accurate, reliable and valid.
This means that experiments should be able to be replicated.
Good experimental design requires thought and planning. The initial design helps to formulate:
- the hypothesis
- what data is to be collected, for example, identifying constants and variables (independent and dependent)
- what calculations are to be made, for example, formulas to use
- the method to use for comparing results.
A scientific report is written in a set format and includes:
- Title
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Literature review
- Materials and methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- References and bibliography.
Once the report has been written, it is recommended that a review of the experiment be carried out in order to identify areas where improvements can be made.
Spend some time thinking about these issues:
- Why are consistent results important when you are carrying out a feed trial?
- What type of data should you collect for a feed trial - qualitative, quantitative or both? Explain your reasons.
- What steps would you take if a number of people were recording diet trial data, and why?
- What is the best method of recording the findings and observations made during an experiment, and how often should they occur?
You can also post your ideas to Discussions and talk about them with your fellow students.
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