Changes

:''This page is about how to get started with your own personal science project. See'' [[Help:Getting started with wiki syntax|Getting started with wiki syntax]] ''for details on how to use this wiki.''

:''This page is about how to get started with your own personal science project. See'' [[Help:Getting started with wiki syntax|''Getting started with wiki syntax'']] ''for details on how to use this wiki.''

Getting started with [[personal science]] can feel intimidating as there are a lot of components to consider when trying to answer personal questions. This page tries to accumulate best practices and advice to help both newcomers and experienced personal scientists in thinking and designing their personal science efforts. It is based on years of experience of personal scientists and is a living guide, which means that you are invited to edit and improve this article as well.   

Getting started with [[personal science]] can feel intimidating as there are a lot of components to consider when trying to answer personal questions. This page tries to accumulate best practices and advice to help both newcomers and experienced personal scientists in thinking and designing their personal science efforts. It is based on years of experience of personal scientists and is a living guide, which means that you are invited to edit and improve this article as well.   

=== Establishing a baseline ===

=== 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.

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. If one looks at events that happen quite frequently only a week or two of observations can be enough for a baseline, but when dealing with rarer events it might be necessary to record a longer baseline. If one has a lot of historical data available, it might also be necessary to not use all of it as a baseline but rather limit oneself to more recent observations, as the baseline might otherwise reflect historic trends, life changes (e.g. changes in job, location, …) and interventions which might bias it.

 

A surprisingly effective way to reason about ones observations is looking at if and how they change over time as it can highlight patterns. While there are many ways to [[Visualizing your Data|visualize]] your data.  

== References ==

== References ==

<references />

<references />