So today I met up with a friend of mine who is also studying at the moment. He is also doing a research project, in which he is planning on doing a various number of experiments and get clear results from them.
I was extremely excited about meeting him as I thought we would be able to compare notes an ideas on each other’s projects and processes, it’s always nice to have an outside inspiration.
So we started chatting, and all was very exciting until we got onto the subject of what results we thought would come from our research. When he asked me this I had a few options as to what I think the possible results may be, but that I didn’t know and how that’s part of the fun and excitement in doing the research!
However when I asked him what he thought his results would be, he started to tell me about the “supposedly” possibility of results A, B or C, but that he KNOWS without a doubt that the result will be A.
In response to this I asked if he’d considered that he might be wrong about how it would turn out, and he flipped! I then had to wait through a half an hour rant in which he accused me of not knowing what I was talking about and how he was right!
This frustrated me and I ended up just changing the topic as to not get into a fight.
However on my way home all I could think about was: “Am I wrong?” “Should I be 100% sure as to what my results are going to be?”
However I also came to my own conclusions:
- If I already knew 100% what the results to something are going to be then what’s the point in doing the research to start with?
- How can you do an experiment from an objective point of view, if you are only counting on one possible outcome?
- How will he react if the results aren’t as planned?
- Will his results be reliable? As the experiments at all times will have been pushed in the direction of giving those results.
At least I have learnt something from this frustrating afternoon, I think to truly research something you need to approach it with an open mind, that you will possibly find something unexpected or even something you don’t like, but that in the end is the whole point, we research to learn new knowledge!
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