How to ask questions and, more importantly, how not to

I recently came across an opinion piece written by my post-doc mentor, Professor Mark M. Davis (Stanford) in Current Biology in which he provided advice about how to ask questions in science. In actual fact this piece is packed with advice on what to avoid in choosing your pursuits and reflection on the importance of courage in face of criticism.

Seventeen years later, these words still ring true. Here are the cliff notes:

Don't do this:

1. “Don't follow leaders (watch the parking meters)” — Bob Dylan

2. Don't follow the crowd.

3. Don't ask ‘What's the next step?’, ask ‘What's missing from this picture?’

Do this:

4. “To make important discoveries, ask important questions” — Peter Medawar

5. “Leave your stepping stones behind, you'd better use your sense.

Forget what you have gathered from coincidence.” — Bob Dylan

6. Expect opposition to any really important question if it falls outside of ‘conventional wisdom’.

“Are we lost, Dad, I arsked sweetly.

Shut up he explained.” — Ring Lardner Jr

7. Know your tools, know yourself.

And remember:

8. Failure is educational.

9. Don't subscribe to ‘the technique-of-the-month club’.

10. ‘The art of the possible’ (know what is possible and what is a {pipe} dream)

The full text is available here: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(00)00782-X