Undergrad: What are Research Procedures supposed to be?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the expectations and requirements for writing research procedures in the context of undergraduate research involving gamma-ray shielding with Cs-137 and Co-60. Participants explore what constitutes adequate detail in experimental procedures and seek guidance on structuring their documentation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes their experience starting undergraduate research and expresses uncertainty about the level of detail required in writing experiment procedures.
  • Another participant provides links to templates and guidelines for writing research protocols, suggesting that these resources may help clarify expectations.
  • Some participants discuss the difficulty of finding relevant resources and express a desire for examples from previous students to guide their writing.
  • There is a mention of the participant's professor being busy, which complicates obtaining direct assistance or examples.
  • One participant notes that the template from Durham is particularly useful and suggests that it offers a good framework for comparison.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the need for more detailed procedures but do not reach a consensus on what constitutes sufficient detail or how to obtain the necessary resources.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of specific examples of procedures from the participant's institution and the variability in expectations across different academic settings.

Who May Find This Useful

Undergraduate students engaged in research, particularly in fields related to physics and experimental procedures, may find this discussion relevant.

Michael Sullivan
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I am starting some undergraduate research with Cs-137 and Co-60 gamma-ray shielding. I'm looking for gamma-ray attenuation as well as energy spectra of the gamma-rays through backscattering and a NaI scintillation counter.
I wrote an abstract, designed the testing equipment and set-up and what not, but I don't really know what I am supposed to write as far as procedures. I wrote up step-by-step procedures of what I will physically be doing as well as what each step is attempting to accomplish. My professor just told me that I don't have enough detail and that I should rewrite them.
Could anyone explain what "Experiment Procedures" are supposed to be?
 
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Okay, cool! Thankyou, I appreciate it. I tried to google it but didn't really know what I was looking for, so even if I stumbled on something good, I didn't know if it applied to my situation. I haven't found anything on my universities website, but I'll try to dig deeper.
 
Michael Sullivan said:
Okay, cool! Thankyou, I appreciate it. I tried to google it but didn't really know what I was looking for, so even if I stumbled on something good, I didn't know if it applied to my situation. I haven't found anything on my universities website, but I'll try to dig deeper.
Doesn't your prof, or other profs in the dept, have copies of what other students have written in the past? That's usually a good place to start.
 
My prof is extremely busy and trying to get anything from him is very difficult. I can ask a few of the others, I just hadn't wanted to yet.
 
I found the template from Durham excellent, and the British are generally quite good at setting standards. At least it provides you a list of topics to compare your work with, in case you don't want to follow the given structure.
 

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