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Introduction to Scientific Research

Thursday, July 23, 2009
 

Instructions

Ask a Question

  • Step 1:
    What do you want to know? All scientific research starts with clarifying the question.

Perform Background Research

  • Step 1:
    What have other scientists already discovered about this question? Was that research performed well? In order to move forward, you must know what has already been done and what their results were.

Form a Hypothesis

  • Step 1:
    A hypothesis is a suggested answer to your question and must be measurable in some way.

Perform an Experiment and Collect Data

  • Step 1:
    All hypotheses in scientific research require testing. A well-designed experiment must include an appropriate sample size, controls, blinds where necessary, and a plan for statistical analyses of the data.

Analyze Results and Draw Conclusions

  • Step 1:
    Scientific research requires a statistical analysis of collected data. Conclusions must then be drawn based on these analyses and the background research performed earlier.

Report Results

  • Step 1:
    Once a scientist draws conclusions those results, whether positive or negative, must be reported to the scientific community. This action allows other scientists to repeat the experiments to either confirm or disprove the results.

Resources


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