Replicate dishes vary widely — conclusion is unsupported (Colony Formation Assay)

Question

Accepted Answer

Three replicates of the same group give very different colony counts. Showing only a representative image without statistics is misleading. Common causes: 1) Seeding consistency was poor between dishes 2) Cell suspension was not well mixed before plating 3) Different operator handling between replicates 4) Failed to randomize plating order Solutions: 1) Always plate at least 3 replicates per condition 2) Pipette suspension thoroughly before each well to keep cells dispersed 3) Standardize the operator and protocol for every replicate 4) Report mean ± SD and the actual statistical test (t-test / ANOVA), not just a representative image