ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the ways in which an investigator's interests and previously held beliefs influence the research problems that s/he selects for study, the kinds of experiments that are carried out to try to solve the problems, and the ways in which the results of the experiments are interpreted. The long-term goal is the general problem under study in the laboratory, such as determining the mechanism by which normal cells become cancerous. The investigator is aware of the state of the field based upon knowledge gained from taking science courses, reading published reports, attending professional meetings, and holding private conversations with other investigators. An investigator interested in isolating the specific component of serum necessary for cell growth might begin with an experiment to make sure the system works as anticipated. That is, cell cultures would be set up in the presence and absence of serum, and cell growth would be compared under these conditions.
