Dissertation: optimisations and negative results? - (Sep/30/2008 )

Hi, everybody

I have read previous topics on dissertations here, and they were extremely useful, thanks!

However, I am a bit stuck now regarding including optimisations in my Master thesis: it feels like I have a HUGE amount of work done, but most of it was optimising conditions, reagents, concentrations, doing an experiment once or twice under the chosen conditions, than going through loads of other optimisations again. Looking back, it makes very little sense...

Not to mention the negative or non-conclusive results...

So basically, how much of the optmisation should I include? I assume optimisation can not really be considered "data", right?

If I optimised a technique step-by-step to 8 different genes, but at the end only 2 of them were studied in detail, should I still include the optimisation for the other ones? (lets say, extensive optimisation for PCR cycles/temperature/concentrations, WB assays, different antibodies)?

Thank you very much, I really appreciate your input.

All the best,
J.

Probably not for a masters thesis. What does you supervisor think?

My supervisor is an almost non-existent person...

(which also partially explains why my project was 80% optimisations and 20% results...)

My supervisor is an almost non-existent person...

(which also partially explains why my project was 80% optimisations and 20% results...)

I think how much optimisation you choose to include depends a lot on the novelty of the techniques you were optimising. My Master's project basically involved developing a new technique, and so my dissertation included some descriptions of the various methods I tried in order to achieve the final result, including a few tables showing the various experimental conditions I used. However, in this case it was sort of appropriate (I think) to show how I optimised the reaction conditions because my whole project was supposed to be about determining the correct conditions to achieve a certain result.

However, if you're optimising something that's already more or less a standard technique (e.g. PCR conditions) I wouldn't include this information.

Given that you're just writing up a Master's, I think it is entirely appropriate to include negative or inconclusive results. The main point of your dissertation (in my opinion) is to convey what you have achieved and what you have learned, even if your results aren't significant. Sometimes you just get a bad project (or a bad supervisor, you're not the only one), but that doesn't mean you don't understand science or didn't learn anything. Remember negative results are a scientific finding as well, just not as exciting as positive ones.

Ginger

Hi, everybody

I have read previous topics on dissertations here, and they were extremely useful, thanks!

However, I am a bit stuck now regarding including optimisations in my Master thesis: it feels like I have a HUGE amount of work done, but most of it was optimising conditions, reagents, concentrations, doing an experiment once or twice under the chosen conditions, than going through loads of other optimisations again. Looking back, it makes very little sense...

Not to mention the negative or non-conclusive results...

So basically, how much of the optmisation should I include? I assume optimisation can not really be considered "data", right?

If I optimised a technique step-by-step to 8 different genes, but at the end only 2 of them were studied in detail, should I still include the optimisation for the other ones? (lets say, extensive optimisation for PCR cycles/temperature/concentrations, WB assays, different antibodies)?

Thank you very much, I really appreciate your input.

All the best,
J.

Thank you so much everybody, your advices were great great help!

Thanks again!