DESIGN ON SCREEN & PAPER

Required is the voluntary, well-informed, understanding consent of the human subject in a full legal capacity.

The experiment should aim at positive results for society that cannot be procured in some other way.

It should be based on previous knowledge (like, an expectation derived from animal experiments) that justifies the experiment.

The experiment should be set up in a way that avoids unnecessary physical and mental suffering and injuries.

It should not be conducted when there is any reason to believe that it implies a risk of death or disabling injury.

The risks of the experiment should be in proportion to (that is, not exceed) the expected humanitarian benefits.

Preparations and facilities must be provided that adequately protect the subjects against the experiment’s risks.

The staff who conduct or take part in the experiment must be fully trained and scientifically qualified.

The human subjects must be free to immediately quit the experiment at any point when they feel physically or mentally unable to go on.

1. No one knows everything, and you don’t have to. Research what you need as you go along, as your research findings might throw up something new and you’d never get stated.

2. Go for the messes – that’s where the action is. Often progress can be incremental research and building on what has already been done. But, you can push through to make leaps and create opportunities.

3. Forgive yourself for wasting time. If you produce a negative result(s) it isn’t normally publishable as they are useful.

4. Learn something about the history of science, or at a minimum the history of your own branch of science. If we see ourselves as part of that research history we can see how work compares or learn from mistakes.

To add...

Academic: Masters; PhD; thesis research etc

Industry: R&D - although this tends be closed to protect IP

Private: people working from their own homes / computers