CHAPTER 2: EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Is this an observational investigation or an experiment?

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What background information is provided in this introduction? What more information do you need?

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Draft an aim and objective(s).

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What is the statistical population? Will you need to sample? By what method(s)? Reflect on whether your sampling method will generate a representative sample. Indicate roughly the number of samples and/or observations you intend to collect and your rationale.

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Do you need a control(s). If yes - what? If no, why not?

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What is(are) your treatment(s)? What may cause non-treatment variation?

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For each possible cause of non-treatment variation how might the effect

be minimised?

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Will you use replicates? Why? Indicate how many and explain why this number.

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Have a go at choosing what might be the correct test to analyse the data from this experiment. Explain your choice.

This is invariably the step that students find the hardest we therefore return to this in interactive exercises in chapters 4 - 8.

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Finalise your aim and objectives.

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Read section 4.1.2. and draft your hypotheses.

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Is this relevant to your experiment? In what way?

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List all the assumptions and possible causes of bias in your design.

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Provide a complete review of your experimental design written in such a way that another person could use this review to carry out your experiment.

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When you have finished compare your final design with the one in the report. How do they compare? Is one better than the other? If so why?

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Describe how you felt at the various stages of planning this experiment. Identify one step that you found difficult and need further practice.

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