Do as you would be done by: Write as you would wish to read

摘要

Imagine that you are starting an experiment, which involves amethod that is new to your team. You have found a paperdescribing an experiment that is broadly similar to what you wantto do, but when you start, you find that the description of themethods is unclear and insufficient. How frustrating that you cannotreplicate the method! When you write up your own experimentyou will now have the insight to consider your own readerswith more respect: they are going to want to know exactly howyou tackled the experiment. Without details of what materialswere used, how they were handled, what control steps wereneeded, etc., how can others apply the method? Consider anotherscene: you read a paper that uses a method that you know insideout. You know well that there can be problems with this method.You look carefully at this report to see if the authors have anticipatedand dealt with these problems adequately. You couldindeed be reviewing a paper, and would then reasonably insistthat those details are presented, and be suspicious if they areglossed over.