Practical Issues, Marginals, Error Checks, and Error Correction

Abstract

The usefulness of a new scientific technique is determined by the details of its implementation. Many clever techniques that are otherwise rigorous and sound fail to become useful workhorse laboratory techniques because of difficulties in experimental implementation, noise sensitivity, cumbersomeness, or other more fundamental limitations. Often these details go unreported (who wants to write a paper explaining how he failed to be able to do something?), resulting in a loss of valuable time and resources for research groups that attempt to use the technique. It’s therefore incumbent upon the developers of an experimental technique to determine whether practical limitations will render the technique less than ideal.