Principles of scientific research

Principles of scientific research

Principles of scientific research

Scientific method of research largely refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena and acquiring new knowledge in the processes. It could also involve correcting and integrating previous knowledge.

In order for a research method to be considered as scientific, it has to be based on certain principles; these may include the following but not necessarily in that order;

Information gathered must be observable, empirical and measurable.

The evidence sought needs to be subject to specific principles of reasoning.

The data collection must be through observation and experimentation.

The process must be out to prove a given hypothesis.

Steps involved need to be repeatable to facilitate prediction of future results.

Interpretation of results must not be biased; therefore any scientific method of research must be very objective.

The last and the most important step is the documentation. This is intended at giving future scientists an opportunity to have a look at your work and attempt to reproduce it thereby verifying the results. It involves writing of dissertations and thesis.

At the tail end of the scientific research or inquiry, the scientist is expected to have formulated a hypothesis, tested and analyzed the results and eventually documented his final findings. These three points lead us to a pragmatic and widely acceptable scheme of carrying out a scientific research, which is;

Defining the question; the question is the subject of the inquiry and needs to be very well outlined in terms of the scope, relevance, time frame, project cost and availability of the required resources.

Gathering of information and resources prior to the commencement of the project to avoid stalling midway during the project.

Formation of hypothesis upon which the experimental procedures shall be based.

Analyzing the data using appropriate methods which may include tabulation, using statistical packages such as SPSS (statistical package for social sciences) or using graphs.

Publishing the results in journals or any other accessible form for future reference.

Retesting the results; this is normally done by other scientists to prove the authenticity of the work.

Finally, it is worth noting that limitations do exist when conducting scientific research. It is virtually impossible to record everything that took place during the experiment. It is therefore vital that facts selected for their apparent relevance are reported. These are commonly called assumptions and are in most cases assumed to be constants with insignificant effect on the overall outcome of the research project.

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