Tom Werner

Experiments: From Idea to Design

For researchers in the natural sciences who want to develop their experimental design skills

9 experts in experimental design, including experienced researchers and Nature Portfolio journal Editors

8.5 hours of learning

10-30-minute bite-sized lessons

4-module course with certificate

About this course

‘Experiments: From Idea to Design’ equips you with the right tools to help develop, plan and refine robust, impactful experiments. You will cover all the core concepts of experimental design and discover strategies to complete the full process of developing a research motivation, formulating hypotheses, assembling an experimental plan and utilising it.

What you’ll learn

  • The benefits of honing your experimental design skills before embarking on full-scale experiments
  • How to develop research motivations, identify assumptions and formulate hypotheses
  • How to select the precise methods, tools, techniques and protocols you need to answer your research question
  • How to refine and make use of your experimental design

The course

Free Sample
Foundations of experimental design

6 lessons 1h 30m

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Developing your motivation, assumptions and hypotheses

6 lessons 2h

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Free Sample
Assembling your experimental plan

7 lessons 3h

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Free Sample
Utilising your experimental design

6 lessons 2h

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Experiments: From Idea to Design - sample

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3 lessons 1h 30m

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Developed with expert academics and professionals

This course has been created with an international team of experts with a wide range of experience, including:

  • Researchers with backgrounds in various disciplines such as plant biology and synthetic chemistry
  • An expert on the theory of the scientific method
  • Nature Portfolio journal Editors with extensive experience evaluating new methodologies and protocols

Liu Bin

Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Senior Vice Provost (Faculty and Institutional Development), National University of Singapore (NUS)

Massimiliano Di Ventra

Professor of Physics, University of California, San Diego

Allison Doerr

Chief Editor, Nature Methods

Oliver Graydon

Chief Editor, Nature Photonics

Ülo Niinemets

Professor of Plant Physiology and Head of the Chair, Estonian University of Life Sciences

Advice from experienced researchers

The course also has additional insights through interviews from:

Yuan Cao

Junior Fellow, Harvard University

Melanie Clyne

Chief Editor, Nature Protocols

David Lapola

Research Scientist, University of Campinas

Oliver Warr

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa

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Tom Werner