8 steps of the scientific METHOD

The steps of the scientific method are observation, approach, hypothesis, experimental design, data collection, data analysis, conclusions and communication. We tell you in a Teacher!

Is there the scientific method Or should we talk about scientific methods? By the classical definition, the scientific method is a systematic approach used by scientists to investigate natural phenomena and answer scientific questions. The method consists of a series of logical and ordered steps that serve as a guide in the research process.

As the historian Javier Puerto points out, scientific thought arose when began to search for the truth within nature, being notable the break with theocracy during the Renaissance. The modern scientific method based on reason and logic was instituted by Galileo, crystallizing the new science at the hands of philosophers such as Francis Bacon or René Descartes, authors who used the inductive and deductive.

In this lesson of unPROFESOR.com we tell you what it consists of and What are the steps of the scientific method?

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Although there may be differences when applying it, the cientific method generally includes a series of steps. Next, we are going to discover the steps of the scientific method.

1. Observation. The first step starts with the observation of a phenomenon or problem that arouses scientific interest. Observation can be done directly or through existing data.
2. Formulation of the question. After the observation we proceed to plan a clear question and as precise as possible to help us guide the investigation.
3. Hypothesis. The hypothesis is an explanation that answers a question posed. It is based on available information and is formulated as a statement or principle that can be tested experimentally.
4. Experimental design. Experimental design is another step of the scientific method. At this point, the scientist plans the study or experiment that will test the hypothesis. Variables are defined, it is decided how to collect data, and an experimental protocol is established.
5. Data collection. In this phase, the experiment is carried out as established and the most relevant data is recorded and collected in the most precise and systematic way possible.
6. Data analysis. The collected data is analyzed using appropriate statistical tools and methods. To do this, it is necessary to identify patterns, relationships and trends in the data to determine if the results support or refute the proposed hypothesis.
7. conclusions. Based on the results of the data analysis, conclusions are reached about the initial hypothesis. It is evaluated if the results support the hypothesis or if a revision or adjustment of the same is required.
8. Communication of the results. The final results of the study should be disseminated through scientific reports, journal publications, or conference presentations. This allows other scientists to review, replicate and build on the study carried out. The scientific method is based on objectivity and peer review. Its main objective is to obtain reliable and valid knowledge about the natural world through the rigorous application of evidence and continuous research.

And these are the main steps of the scientific method that are usually followed.

Current debates about the scientific method point out that the scientific method in the singular does not exist, the social sciences being the only ones that still speak of a single method. Philosophers underline how the sciences are very disparate and it is better to talk about the existence of different philosophies of science and scientific methods for each of them. Thus, a general scientific method would serve to solve any kind of problem without being something exclusive to science.

Be that as it may, it is possible to establish certain methodological rules that allow a study to be carried out in order to acquire new knowledge or confirm the veracity of certain phenomena through a series of ordered steps. A process that can be repeated more than once to establish if the result is true.

The scientific method would be part of the so-called scientific methodology, a discipline that also encompasses different research methods, from the logical-deductive method, the analytical, the comparative or the scientific method itself.

Characteristics of the scientific method

The characteristics of the scientific method are:

• To rely on concrete and tangible data, being possible to quantify them from the qualitative and quantitative point of view.
• Be possible find out these dates.
• Present causes and effects, that is, they present variables. Variables that can be dependent or independent.
• Establish hypothesis that give answers to questions and that allow us to support or reject hypotheses.
• investigate and analyze data using different strategies.

In unProfesor we discover you René Descartes and the scientific method.