Perform

Put your plans in practice using UUBF's facilities, equipment and expertise! The following article aims at giving you an overview over important aspects to consider when carrying out behavioural experiments.

If you are planning to conduct experiments in UUBF's facilities, please read through our important information.

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Carrying out experiments - From design to results

This article gives an overview of important aspects you should consider when performing behavioural experiments. Since the exact steps needed vary greatly depending on your experimental procedure and species, use this as a starting point. At this stage, your careful planning in designing your experiment will pay off. Several topics covered in this article will be directly affected by your design choices.

1. Prepare for your experiment

After you have completed the experimental design and received ethical approval, carefully review all of your experimental designs, SOP's and ethical applications again.

If you are using chemicals, prepare these in advance if possible. Make sure you have a sufficient supply of all substances needed, preferably from the same batch. If possible, have an additional supply of substances in order to perform additional experiments. Familiarize yourself with the safety procedures and waste management concerning the substances you are using.

Book facilities in advance to make sure you will have access to the room(s) and equipment you need during the experiment. Furthermore, check if you can keep your setup assembled throughout the experiment or do you have to reassemble everything on each day.

Make sure to note all important aspects of the experiment in your lab journal. The use of a journal template will ensure you document all necessary details and observations. This will improve reproducibility and make it easier for you to analyse your data and prepare your results for publication.

2. Test your arena as well as hard- and software

Assemble all components of your arena, check if everything is working as it should. Do this either in the behaviour room you have booked or in advance in a separate place. Double-check recording equipment and other hard- and software. Check if there is a backup equipment available in case you experience difficulties during the experiment. If not, make sure you know how to handle minor errors and whom to ask if larger issues or difficulties arise during the experiment.

3. Identify sources of error

Check the schedule with other people working in the facility to identify recurring noise or other disturbances. Make sure you double-check the following details in your experimental design and make a plan for these:

Who will be working with the animals?
At what times of the day and on which week days?
Are there interactions with other people during the day(s) the experiment is conducted (animal caretakers, colleagues, technical staff etc.)?

4. Make a detailed plan for the experimental days

Plan for where to keep the animals between trials and how to transport them between the home environment and the test site. Control for smells, visual cues and noise that might interfere with the experimental design. Perform randomisation as decided during the planning phase. Make a plan on how to clean the arena between trials. Have a plan for data handling including regular backups to prevent data loss that might lead to unnecessary repetitions of experiments.

5. Habituate the animals to handling

Prior to starting the actual experiment, the animals should be habituated to handling and this should be reflected in your planning of the experiment. Procedures and time frames for habituation vary between species, follow the guidelines and literature for your chosen species.

6. Habituate the animals to the test arena and procedures

The experimental plan should include time for habituation of the animals to the test arena and other procedures. An exception to this are experiments in which the reaction of the animal to a novel environment is tested. The details of this step can vary a lot depending on the experiment. Habituation can be an integral part of the experiment and should be recorded exactly as the following parts of the experiment.

7. Perform experiment

If all preparations are done correctly, this step should go without much trouble. More time invested in planning will lead to a more refined experiment and in turn more consistent results and better quality data. Make sure to follow your protocol and record all possible deviations from pre-defined experimental routines carefully.