PREPARATION 



it does not augur well for his future as a research worker. It is 

 best for the research student to start with a problem in which 

 there is a good chance of his accomplishing something, and, 

 of course, which is not beyond his technical capabilities. Success 

 is a tremendous stimulus and aid to further progress whereas 

 continued frustration may have the opposite effect. 



After a problem has been selected the next procedure is to 

 ascertain what investigations have already been done on it. 

 Text-books, or better, a recent review article, are often useful 

 as starting points, since they give a balanced summary of 

 present knowledge, and also provide the main references. A text- 

 book, however, is only a compilation of certain facts and hypo- 

 theses selected by the author as the most significant at the time of 

 writing, and gaps and discrepancies may have been smoothed 

 out in order to present a coherent picture. One must, there- 

 fore, always consult original articles. In each article there are 

 references to other appropriate articles, and trails followed up in 

 this way lay open the whole literature on the subject. Indexing 

 journals are useful in providing a comprehensive coverage of 

 references on any subject to within a year or so of the present, 

 and where they cease a search is necessary in appropriate 

 individual journals. The Quarterly Cumulative Index Medicus, 

 Zoological Record^ Index Veterinarius and the Bibliography of 

 Agriculture are the standard indexing journals in their respec- 

 tive spheres. Trained librarians know how to survey literature 

 systematically and scientists fortunate enough to be able to call 

 on their services can obtain a complete list of references on any 

 particular subject. It is advisable to make a thorough study of 

 all the relevant literature early in the investigation, for much 

 effort may be wasted if even only one significant article is missed. 

 Also during the course of the investigation, as well as watching 

 for new articles on the problem, it is very useful to read super- 

 ficially over a wide field keeping constant watch for some new 

 principle or technique that may be made use of 



In research on infectious diseases usually the next step is to 

 collect as much firsthand information as possible about the 

 actual problem as it occurs locally. For instance, if an animal 

 disease is being investigated, a common procedure is to carry 

 out field observations and make personal enquiries from farmers. 



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