Introduction
This lab manual is intended to provide a crash course in doing research in the iHuman Lab. It describes standard workflows we carry out in the lab. However, these are not rigid rules, they are meant to be flexible guidelines.
Who is this lab manual for?
Every new lab member should read the latest version of this lab manual in detail and reference it later as needed. Periodically throughout the document, you will see callouts with listed Task items.
Completing your read-through entails:
- Reading the contents of the manual
- Asking current lab members about any confusing aspects
- Completing the relevant
Taskitems. You will also see non-task NOTE items; these provide helpful tips and additional commentary on the nearby text.
This lab manual is meant to be a living document. All lab members are welcome (and encouraged!) to submit edits that improve the content, clarity, and overall helpfulness of this document at any point throughout their tenure in the lab. Knowledge is ever changing, you might come across new tools, methods, and resources which might help you and future lab members. You can share that knowledge through this manual
Upon reading through this lab manual for the first time, please update the document to include your name in the Lab members section. Importantly, be sure to fork the GitHub repository, make your edit on your personal fork, and submit a pull request with your update.
Why is it worth my time to read through the manual?
Aside from pursuing your own curiosity, automating aspects of your research can significantly reduce the mundane tasks that consume valuable time and effort. By implementing automated processes, you free up mental energy and resources that can then be redirected towards exploring more complex and thought-provoking questions within your field.
This manual serves as a foundational guide to help you establish an efficient workflow for automating your research tasks. By following these steps, you will streamline data collection, analysis, and synthesis processes, allowing you to focus more on formulating innovative hypotheses, designing insightful experiments, and interpreting results in novel ways.
What isn’t this lab manual?
This lab manual should not be regarded as a rigid set of rules to be strictly adhered to. Rather, it serves as a collection of established workflows that have been utilized by others and found beneficial. It acknowledges that individual preferences and circumstances vary, and therefore, not every aspect of these workflows may align perfectly with your own methods or preferences.
The workflows outlined here are meant to be flexible tools that can be adjusted and refined according to the unique requirements of your research projects.