• General issues

    • What is a project?

      Projects are the basic units around which GlobalLab is organized. They pose a question to investigate and provide the steps to answer it. The list of published projects is available on our homepage and in the Project Catalog (click on Projects in the top menu). Remember, you can create and publish your own GlobalLab project. A project’s components are About, Investigations, Findings, Discussions, and Blog.

      Aboutintroduces the project.

      Investigationincludes the project’s goals, its hypothesis, the required equipment and materials, the protocol (the steps or procedures for participating in the project and collecting relevant data), and any safety tips.

      Findingspresents the data that have been submitted to the project’s Report Forms. Authentic findings are possible when data are collected, shared, compared, and analyzed by multiple participants around the world. The hypothesis is either accepted or rejected by project participants based on the data collected. Sometimes, the findings can suggest novel and unanticipated conclusions and new avenues for investigations.

      Discussionis where participants can share thoughts and analysis and explore ideas.

      TheBlogis a blog by the project’s author.

    • Who can be an Author of a project?

      Any registered user of the GlobalLab platform can author a project.

    • May I suggest an idea (a research question) to be investigated and become an author of a project?

      Yes. Every registered GlobalLab user can offer investigative ideas, vote for or against them, discuss them, and choose the most interesting ones.

      To propose an idea, click on the Suggest an Idea button on the Projects page. In the window that appears, give a short description of your idea. Alternatively, you can contact the GlobalLab editorial office by sending an email toeditors@globallab.org.

      You can also browse through previously suggested ideas on the Projects page of the website and join a project.

    • What is a project investigation?

      Every project has an investigation. Investigations are a key part of every project. Indeed, it goes to their core and gives voice to your research endeavor. An investigation encompasses:

      • - Goals
      • - Hypothesis

      A critical part of every investigation is its proposed hypothesis. The investigation’s author states a hypothesis to be discussed by the community. Hypotheses should invite collaborative data collection around the phenomenon under investigation.

      • - Investigation Protocol

      The protocol specifies the research objectives and the procedures to collect relevant data.

      • - Equipment

      This section lists the equipment and materials needed to collect the relevant data.

      • - Safety tips.
    • How do I participate in a particular project?

      1. First, register and access the website using your username.

      2. Next, select the project of your choice from the Project Catalog (access the Catalog by clicking on Projects in the top menu of any GlobalLab page). You will be taken to the project’s About page where you can learn about the project.

      3. Then click on Investigation on the left side of the page to learn about the project’s procedures.

      4. When you have conducted the procedures and gathered the necessary data, click on the green Report Form button to submit you data.

      5. All projects in which you participated (submitted Report Forms) will appear on your My Profile page (click on your username on the top right of the page to access My Profile in drop-down menu).

      6. Discuss the project and your findings by clicking on Discussion on the left side of the page. You can participate in discussion even if you did not fill in Report Form to the project.

    • Who can take part in a project?

      Anyone who is registered in the GlobalLab community can participate, though there are some age-specific projects. This includes people with varied educational backgrounds and experiences (students, educators, parents, scientists, etc.). Projects generally are designed for a wide spectrum of participants, starting with preschoolers to high-school students to educators, parents, and even scientists. Age-specific projects are marked as such in each project’s description.

    • What technical resources are necessary to participate in GlobalLab projects? Do I need special equipment or is a computer with Internet access sufficient?

      GlobalLab requires a computing device with Internet access. Particular projects may require additional resources. The equipment needed for any project is listed in the Equipment section of the Investigation page. Some projects require only a computer, smartphone or tablet with Internet access, while others may demand a photo camera, microscope, or more sophisticated equipment.

      At all cases Authors should try to make process of measurement and watching as simple as possible. For example, to define temperature in several cases you can use ordinary thermometer but not a specific digital sensor. Those Report Form fields that are supposed to receive data from digital sensors can be filled in manually by typing in digital result of measurements received by any correspondent equipment, either digital or analog.

    • Who can be a Project Facilitator?

      All projects are facilitated by a team of professional scientists and education specialists. Presently, they are appointed by the GlobalLab editorial office.

      A co-author is an invited author of the project.

      However, in the future, we are planning to engage GlobalLab members to become Project Facilitators themselves.

    • What is the lifetime of a project?

      Project time limitations (participation duration, recommended deadlines, etc.) depend on the investigation. The deadlines are specified in the description part. Project Authors and Facilitators can discuss and compare data throughout the running time of the project, even after submission of the Report Forms. Project Authors and/or Facilitators will stop collecting Report Forms when it becomes clear that enough data has been gathered and further data collection appears unnecessary.

    • What sensors can provide data to a GloblLab Report Form?

      At present sensors of the Fourier Systems company and the Globisense company, as well as mobile applications glSound (i-OS) and glSound2 (Android) can provide data to a Report Form. You can find more information in the article Using probes in GlobalLab Investigations

    • What does the logo Editor's Choice mean?

      A logo or heading Editor’s Choice means that this project has been approved by GlobalLab experts.

    • What does the logo or heading “Developed by GlobalLab” mean?

      A logo or heading Developed by GlobalLab means that GlobalLab experts are authors of the project.

    • What does the logo or heading Probes or Sensors mean?

      A logo Probes or Sensors means that you need to perform measurements by probes or sensors to fill in the Report Form. For information how to work with certain types of probes see in the article Using probes in GlobalLab Investigations

    • What is the project score tab?

      The project score tab is a line of counters located at the bottom of each project card in the catalog.