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== Reasoning ==
== Reasoning ==
Basically soon as one starts to record observations, one can start to reason about what one is seeing. There are myriads of ways to reason about data to gain insights from them, ranging from very simple to highly complex [[Statistical testing|statistical methods]] or [[Visualizing your Data|visualizations]]. This diversity of methods can make this step particularly daunting, but generally the majority of personal science projects that lead to interesting and meaningful insights do so using a range of simple methods to reason around the observations. This section gives some broad advice on things to consider when reasoning on personal science observations
=== Establishing a baseline ===
After establishing a personal science question and finding out how to collect observations it can be tempting to dive right into trying out any interventions ("let me drink less caffeine to see if my sleep improves", "How does diet X improve my weight loss", …). Before doing so it is advisable to collect enough data at a baseline before changing anything, as this will allow to compare the impact of any interventions against the "normal" state without any changes. Unless one has already recorded observations over a period of time to establish such a baseline, the start of a new personal science project is a good time to do so. How much observations are needed depends on the question one tries to answer and the frequency of the phenomenon in question.
== References ==
== References ==
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