Doing your own scientific research is something that many people do these days, especially with the availability of technology. You can find almost anything done online, from how to mix natural remedies for health benefits to tips on doing basic science experiments.
By now you’ve probably seen a lot of studies about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and limiting sugar and salt in your diet. They’re always framed with scary or dramatic warnings like “starting this year we recommend that everyone eat only five berries per week!”
This kind of messaging may influence you into changing what you are eating, but it’s not so much helpful as it is misleading. So let us take a closer look at some practical ways to help you reduce your exposure to sodium, add some flavor to your diets, and enjoy all sorts of delicious berries!
We will also talk about why most of the fad diets don’t work and some simple changes you can make to improve your overall health and lose weight.
Summary
So what are we talking about here? We’ll go over all the things you can do to increase your knowledge on healthy nutrition, learn more about specific nutrients, and start replacing processed foods and additives with healthier alternatives.
You don’t need to be an expert to understand nutritional basics, there are plenty of free resources available out there! This is an excellent way to begin improving your daily food habits.
Make a list of topics that you currently know too little about to research
It’s easy to start doing scientific research once your topic is chosen, but how do you choose what areas are totally unknown to you?
That’s where this article comes in! You see, there are several ways to pick your next area of study. Some people focus more on practical applications of studies, while others prefer studying fundamental theories behind things.
Either way, it’s good to be familiar with the basics before going into detail. So here we will discuss some basic concepts of biology that anyone can learn to do their own scientific research.
Connect with scientists in your field
One of the most important things you can do as an aspiring scientist is connect with other professionals in your area. These colleagues may teach classes, give presentations, or publish research studies that are beyond the scope of what you have studied so far.
By attending their talks and studying their work, you will find out how they completed their experiments, what tools and materials they used, and what strategies worked for them.
Interact with these experts to learn new concepts and get help with anything related to their field. This goes not only for beginners, but also for more experienced researchers.
There are many ways to connect with professional scientists. You could attend conferences, meet at seminars, join groups on social media sites, and/or create your own group by hosting a talk or meeting focused on something scientific.
Become an expert in one area of research
In order to do your own scientific research, you have to be familiar with the field as a whole. You can’t expect to read through lots of papers and then make conclusions about the topic without doing some significant amount of groundwork.
So what are we talking about here? Well, for example, if you wanted to learn more about why people get sick after eating food that has been contaminated by bacteria, you would need to know something about medicine.
You wouldn’t just pick up a book or two on this subject, however; there’s a lot of information out there. So before you start reading anything, you should first determine how much general knowledge you already have in this area.
By having at least a basic understanding of medical concepts, which almost everyone does today, you will be able to understand most things you read about contamination.
Also, you should definitely check out the basics of epidemiology. This is the study of disease patterns and their causes.
Once again, though, don’t assume that once you have done these things, you can begin studying exposure, risk factors, effects, and cures!
Most importantly, remember that while learning about science is great, it also takes time and effort. It won’t happen overnight so don’t get discouraged.
Commit to doing research every day
Doing scientific research takes time! It will take you several minutes of active work each week to achieve your goal. But if you are willing to put in that effort, then you can reach great success very quickly.
There is no telling how many hours it will take you to complete this project. You must be prepared for that!
You should make sure to set aside enough time daily to do proper scientific research. This could be an hour or two per day depending on what kind of research you are trying to accomplish.
Some people start off more thorough than others but as they progress, their efficiency decreases slightly. That’s totally normal!
Don’t get discouraged because you don’t seem to be making much progress at first.
Become familiar with the basics of research
Doing your own scientific research doesn’t make sense if you don’t know the basics of how research works. You should be able to identify what kind of information you need to look up, determine whether something is reliable or not, and evaluate whether there are better alternatives for doing things.
Research isn’t always easy to come by, especially outside of academic settings where students are taught how to do it. Plus, some areas seem to generate more false results than others.
That’s why I’d like to talk about five important concepts for anyone who wants to do their own scientific research.
Create a personal website
A personal website is an easy way to do your own scientific research. You can use this site for all of your academic projects, including doing literature reviews, organizing notes, creating tables or diagrams, and even presenting findings! All you need to have is web hosting, which costs around $10-15 per month depending on how much space you want.
A good tip is to pick a simple domain name that represents your topic. For example, if your project was about how to increase plant growth, then growyourplants.org would be a great choice.
You can also add features such as free content management systems (CMS) so you can edit your pages yourself. Some popular CMSs are WordPress, Google Sites, and Tumblr. These allow you to easily update your page, create new sections, etc.
Connect with other researchers
Doing scientific research involves talking to people who have done similar work before you. They may teach classes, give presentations, or publish papers that include your topic!
By interacting with others in their field, you make for great conversations about what they do and how it relates to yours.
These colleagues can also be a source of new ideas. When someone else has solved a problem like yours, this gives you an opportunity to compare notes and see if there are ways to apply those concepts to your own project.
Furthermore, many universities run student groups where students come together to discuss topics related to studying. These might focus on courses you are taking or degree programs – even after graduation!
There are many ways to connect with peers in the academic community. You don’t need to go to meetings, you can just use email, chat apps, and phone calls instead.
Try publishing a book on your research
A great way to do in-depth scientific research is to publish a book about it. This does not mean writing for people with similar levels of knowledge, instead, you write for an audience that has never heard your topic before!
By breaking down concepts into chapters and bullets, they are easier to follow for those who have little to no background in the subject matter.
This is particularly helpful if you want to spread awareness around certain topics or bring attention to something new. Many academic journals require free online access, so why not make it accessible to everyone else?
There are many ways to go about doing this too, such as creating your own website or blogging platform, using pre-existing platforms like Amazon Kindle or CreateSpace, or even looking into self-publishing via print-on-demand companies.
