Research Methods in Agri-Science

Design, run and publish field and lab research.

What the course covers

8 modules, 32 topics. Open any one to see what sits inside it.

1. 1.1 What agricultural research has to deliver
2. 1.2 Laboratory, glasshouse, field and farm
3. 1.3 Applied and strategic research
4. 1.4 Framing a question worth funding
1. 2.1 Plot design and randomisation
2. 2.2 Controls, treatments and factorials
3. 2.3 Replication and statistical power
4. 2.4 Managing spatial variability
1. 3.1 On-farm and participatory research
2. 3.2 Long-term experiments
3. 3.3 Multi-site and multi-season trials
4. 3.4 Surveys and observational studies
1. 4.1 What to measure, and when
2. 4.2 Sampling protocols
3. 4.3 Instruments, calibration and error
4. 4.4 Capturing data in a wet field
1. 5.1 Weather as an uncontrolled variable
2. 5.2 Crop failure, and losing a season
3. 5.3 Research involving animals, and ethics approval
4. 5.4 Biosecurity and quarantine in research
1. 6.1 Matching the analysis to the design
2. 6.2 Treatment effects, and their size
3. 6.3 Interaction with site and season
4. 6.4 Statistical significance against agronomic significance
1. 7.1 The structure of an agricultural paper
2. 7.2 Reporting trial conditions completely
3. 7.3 Figures and tables for agronomic data
4. 7.4 Data availability and open science
1. 8.1 Extension: getting results to farmers
2. 8.2 Working with industry and funders
3. 8.3 Intellectual property and varieties in outline
4. 8.4 Research integrity and conflicts of interest

By the end of this course you will be able to explain and apply:

Two hours, not two months Eight short modules. Finish in a day, or do one module a night for a week.

Depth beyond your coursework Pitched above taught content, for research, leadership and the work that follows the degree.

Built for a phone Watch on the bus, pause mid-module, pick up where you stopped. No download, no lab.

A certificate that can be checked Every certificate carries an ID your college or an employer can verify on our site.

Master's Degree students in India
Studying: M.Sc. Agriculture, M.Tech Food Technology, M.Sc. Environmental Science
Recent graduates strengthening a CV
Anyone working in this field without a formal qualification

About two hours in total — eight modules of roughly fifteen minutes. You can do it in one sitting or spread it across a week. Your place is saved either way.
No. There is no prerequisite course and no software to install. A phone, tablet or computer with an internet connection is enough.
Yes. This course is placed at Master's Degree for India, and the content is written for that level. If you are at a different stage, change your level at the top of the page and the courses will change with it.
A certificate for the course, carrying an ID that your college or an employer can check on our verification page. You keep access to the material afterwards.
Yes — ₹450 for this course on its own, or ₹1,450 for all five in this set, which works out cheaper if you want more than one.
There is a short quiz at the end of each module so you can check what stuck. It is not timed and you can retake it.
Change your country using the picker at the top. Level names, degree names and prices all switch to that country, and the courses adjust to its education system.

Wording shown for India. Pick a different country at the top and the terms, currency and programme names change with it.