Abstract
AN address entitled “A Talk about Research” was delivered by Mr. W. P. Elderton to the Institute of Actuaries Students' Society on November 19 and has now been published. The details of the address were highly technical, but the general principles laid down seem to be applicable to any profession, though they are on rather different lines from those suitable for workers in pure science at universities or research institutes. Many young men would like to undertake some kind of research work, but they find it difficult to think of suitable subjects. Of course, a genius would find his own problems and solve them. Leaving aside such, as needing no guidance, some general advice can be given to those less original. One way of starting consists of a study of the history of ideas on a certain subject, taking care to examine French and German sources as well as English. This study will often reveal the inadequate foundation of current theories, and it will then naturally lead on to the attempt to replace the weak portions by something sounder. Another profitable and indeed indispensable task is the reconsideration of the professional practices that were established as the best in the past, in view of the change in contemporary conditions. Mr. Elderton warned his hearers against a hurry to rush into print. They should endeavour to take all possible precautions against error before publication, and to write in good English, so as to be intelligible to any diligent, well-informed reader. Controversy should be avoided, and when they think another writer has made a mistake, they should try to follow his line of thought and consider carefully whether the mistake is not their own. The advice of Francis Galton, “Never resent criticism and never reply to it”, is good, though hard to follow by those not possessing Galton's saintly disposition and philosophical calm.
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Professional Men and Research. Nature 135, 60–61 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/135060c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/135060c0