Figure 1.131 The scientific method

Steps in the Scientific Method

1. The first step is to come up with a scientific or research question that you are interested in investigating.

2. Based on your research question, a hypothesis or an educated guess is formulated.

3. The next step is to design and conduct the experiment. A good design should take into account what has been done previously. Thus, a thorough review of methods and results published previously should be undertaken. This will help prevent making the same mistakes and save a lot of time conducting the research.

4. Perform the experiment/research and collect results and draw conclusions.

5. If the hypothesis is not supported, then a new hypothesis/research question should be created and a new experiment be conducted.

6. Ultimately, researchers hope to publish their research in peer-reviewed journals.

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