Conduct experiments in animal physiology

I need the experiment protocol for the digestive enzyme assay ready for Prof. Kumar and the ethics committee by Wednesday. Check the Methods section for clear sample sizes, units, and time points, confirm animal ID and welfare steps match our approved protocol, then send to Prof. Kumar for signature and to the committee with a one-line summary of endpoints.

Before I hand this physiology paper to the lab manager and the ethics reviewer, make the experimental design easy to approve: move the primary outcome and sample size calculation to the top of Methods, make dosing and timing findable in a single table, and flag any procedures that will make reviewers hesitate so I can add clarifications.

The ethics reviewer has returned the protocol asking for stronger justification of my sample size and I have two weeks to respond. I worry the stated numbers look arbitrary and could lead to delays. I cannot tell if they expect a power calculation or a rule-of-thumb justification. Recommend the likely preferred justification, the minimal extra analysis or wording to add, and the clearest sentence I should use to satisfy the reviewer.

Across several studies, sample size questions from reviewers cost me weeks while I rerun analyses and rewrite protocols. I need one habit to stop this. Recommend a standard paragraph and accompanying spreadsheet template I can reuse that gives power, assumptions and sensitivity checks, plus a pre-check step and who in the team should sign off before submission.