Ten simple rules for more objective decision-making

Scientists spend their lives analyzing data by the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world using both observation and experiment—objective analysis. But when it comes to decision-making, scientists are also humans with accompanying subjectivity. Put colloquially, we have both heart and head—and are capable of being simultaneously subjective and objective. Here we posit that bringing more objectivity ("head") to decisions is a good thing. It’s a key part of "critical thinking," the "Socratic questioning" method. We are not suggesting, that like Mr. Spock, we should be driven entirely by rationality, nor are we considering the merits of various reasoning systems [1]; we are simply examining why greater objectivity helps in providing a simple way to achieve improved objectivity. So, to start, is objectivity indeed better than subjectivity? To address this question, it’s useful to look at the 2 opposite ends of the spectrum: objectivity is really the application of pure logic (something is either right or wrong, more or less, etc.), whereas subjectivity [2] is embodied in the form of what is often called Cartesian Doubt or skepticism (that the knowledge of anything outside ones direct experience has to be considered as unsure). In certain cases, increased objectivity is superior, for example, when the decision being taken leads toward a measurable or quantifiable outcome: if there is a specific goal in mind, then it’s very useful to be able to estimate how close that decision might get you to that goal before you set out on the path. In real life, most decisions are a mixture of head and heart, but with these rules, we hope to increase both the accuracy and quantity of the head part while not neglecting the heart. But enough of the epistemological concepts, what we want is to make better decisions (better here being more objective) and look at 10 ways in which we might do this, culminating in a simple tool that anyone with a spreadsheet (or even a pen and paper) can use. Each rule is accompanied by a use case, some drawn from 2 previous Ten simple rules: Ten simple rules for graduate students [3] and Ten simple rules for selecting a postdoctoral position [4]. We will culminate with a worked example that illustrates this approach. Every lab needs a good coffee machine, and we are inspired by the example of the famous Trojan Room coffee pot. Based in the old computer laboratory of the University of Cambridge, England, in 1991, it provided the inspiration for the world’s first webcam [5]. So here we show how to make sure your coffee is well up to par! PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY