| Frequently Asked Questions |
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What is the purpose of ExperimentBank?
Science thrives on creativity and constructive criticism. ExperimentBank provides a forum for individuals to submit ideas for scientific experiments in any field to community review by their scientific peers in the form of votes and comments. This is a place where experiments can be proposed without needing grant funding, facilities, or experience, only creative ideas.
This is your chance - have some fun!
Who should post experiments?
Anyone! Generally the experiments are scientific in nature, but anything goes. Try to pick the topic that fits best with your idea.
What information should be in an experiment?
There are no absolute rules - a sentence or a page are both fine. For people to get a good idea of the experiment you are proposing so they can properly evaluate it, there generally should be:
- An aim/objective/purpose
- Some background for why this would be interesting/important to do
- A short description of the experiment, including any relevant methods
- Some explanation for what the results would mean or how they would be relevant
But, if you just have short idea, that's good too; others can then comment and expand on it. When you submit an idea, keep the "Intro text" short (1-2 sentences) and put the body of your experiment in the "Extended copy" box; this keeps the story listing pages more readable.
How are experiments posted?
This is an entirely community-edited site; people read submissions using the "moderate submissions" link on the right, and then vote and comment on them. If several people vote positively, the experiment is posted on the section or front page, whereas with enough negative votes, the experiment will be hidden from view. In either case it is hoped that the comments people make will be constructive and help to improve the experiment. If you vote, write a quick (or long) comment as to why you voted the way you did. This will allow the experiments to evolve based on interactions within a scientific community.
What is the difference between a topical and editorial comment?
A topical comment relates to the experiment being discussed, eg. a modification to the procedure suggested, or an evaluation of its worth. An editorial comment is a comment on the submitter or the way the experiment was presented, for instance "I don't think you thought that through enough" or "you've made some excellent submissions". Most comments on this site are topical as they deal with the experiment under discussion.
What if I have more questions or comments?
If you have something you'd like to know or don't understand about this site, you can post a story to the "Help" section and get responses from other users. If there's something you'd like to see on this site, or if you have any other comments, post to the "Wish list" section. Or, of course, you can email the administrator - I'd like to hear from you!
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