How to validate your research results?

Hey guys, 

So it's that time of the week. A Time For questions, time for answers, time for.... Changing your doubtfulness into your doubt'fulfil'ness. 

Is that even a word, you jerk? 

Who cares. Nobody asked your opinion, grammar Nazi. 

What was I talking about?

Oh yeah.

So there is one doubt that every first time researcher has. 

HOW TO VALIDATE YOUR RESULTS? 

Why is validation necessary?

Validation is the only method by which you can sort of authenticate you project. By validating every single method in your research, you can guarantee that your results are absolutely true and that there is no ambiguity. By validating your research you leave no gap for doubts. Of course the examiners or anybody checking your research will have a few doubts, but surely they will be convinced if you have validated your research.

So how can I validate my research?

Validation of research should be started from the day 1 i.e. when you begin your research. Microbiology  is a vast and diverse field and a hell lot of different researches can be carried out and hence there are a lot of methods to validate them. Here, I will try my best to list out methods that may work for all researches no matter what the topic is. See which one is applicable for you. Go.

1. Use a lot of samples (The p value) - Yeah, this step is primary and holds the entire significance  in your research. If you fail at this point, you are giving the examiner a benefit of doubt that your results from a particular sample was just a coincidence. So, whatever your research is, make sure that you not only collect sufficient number of samples but also you collect it from various different sources. This step is applicable to all the researches. Whether you want to isolate an efficient organism, or a product. Or even if it a case study or mere data collection. The key is to make it wide. So for eg, if you are carrying out a PG project which is testing antimicrobial activity of some XYZ compounds, then be sure to pick some really potent drug resistant organisms from various sources. Please do not use your routine, usual lab cultures. They are not pathogenic mostly and hence the antimicrobial potential of your compound is not proved. Therefore you might land in a soup when your examiner questions you about it.
2. Use different methods (Triangulation) - When you want to tackle your enemy, attack it from all the sides, this is what this step means. For eg, you referred a particular research paper, and followed a particular protocol from it and let's consider that you are lucky and hence the protocol worked too. You are also satisfied with the research, so let's go the next step, right? Wrong. Never record your research just relying on one protocol. Try at least 2-3 similar protocols by referring other research papers, that's how you will be validating your results.
3. Repeat it sufficient times  - Repeat your assays, chemical estimations or whatever it is, till you get a consistency in your results. Never rely on the results by carrying the assay for once. Repeat the same procedure for a few more times. You don't have to show it your final thesis, but in any case of doubt or questions you can show your rough journal to them. This will prove that your reading didn't came from heaven but you have actually proved the consistency in your results.
4. Keep controls - Always, always Keep controls for whatever you are doing. If possible try both the negative and positive controls. It will save a lot of your time which you will spend gaping at the results, if you do not have controls. And who knows, if your test is better than your positive control then simultaneously you can prove the efficacy of your test too.

That's all I could think of right now. Do share with us any tips if you have a better one.

And here's our signature high six.

-Staph greater than 3