When scientists have questions about the world or ideas they want to investigate, they all follow certain steps, or approach the situation in the same way. The steps they follow, or the approach they take is called THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD. THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD is the way scientists think and act to create new ideas and knowledge.
Scientists often observe the world around them closely and notice events or behaviours that interest them or make them curious. They start thinking about “why” or “what if”. They become very curious and decide to investigate an idea or area more closely. This is the first step in THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD and when we read a scientist’s observations or introductions they tell us the reasons why, or the scientist’s motivations for choosing to investigate the ideas or topics they did. Scientists often record these original ideas in their log books and then later present them in the introduction of their study.
Once scientists have become curious about an idea or issue they write an AIM for their investigation. When we read an AIM we can tell what the general topic or question the scientist is going to be investigating. An AIM gives a scientist a general topic to begin researching and finding more information about. AIMS are often written as open ended, fat questions. AIMS are not too specific.
Once scientists have an AIM for their investigation they carry out some RESEARCH. Scientists always build upon what other have already discovered, and they will find out what others already know about their topic and learn more about the ideas and vocabulary about their topic. Scientists will RESEARCH and SUMMARISE this information and record it in their NOTE BOOK. They will later present it in the RESEARCH SUMMARY section of their study. When we read a scientist’s RESEARCH SUMMARY we will find all the main points and facts about their topic and definitions of specific vocabulary or ideas that relate to their topic.
Once scientists have researched their topic, they have a better idea about what it is they are wanting to investigate. This is when they write an experiment QUESTION to answer. Their QUESTION is very specific and can be answered by carrying out experiments. The QUESTION is often written as a closed question. The QUESTION asks about relationships or causes and effects. Scientists try to avoid questions that only compare or ask for the “best” or “most”. When we read a scientist’s QUESTION we will know exactly what they will be investigating and trying to find out with their experiments.
The word HYPOTHESIS means little or small, theory or idea. Writing an HYPOTHESIS is what scientists do next. They think about their RESEARCH and their QUESTION, and make a prediction about what they think the answer will be or what the outcomes of their experiments will be. The difference between an HYPOTHESIS and a guess is that an HYPOTHESIS says which pieces of research made you make the predictions you did. When we read an HYPOTHESIS we will know exactly what the scientist thinks will be the outcome of their experiments and why they think that.
Once a scientist has a specific question to answer, they develop an EXPERIMENT METHOD to test their ideas. They make a list of the MATERIALS they will use and also write a PROCEDURE describing the exact steps they will take when carrying out their experiment. The EXPERIMENT METHOD often has scientific diagrams and /or photos to show how equipment will be set up or how procedures are to be done. When we read a scientist’s EXPERIMENT METHOD we will know exactly how their experiment was done and it will be so clear that we could use it as instructions to repeat the experiments ourselves.
When scientists design experiments they need to make sure their test is fair. If their test is not fair they and other scientists will not trust or believe the results. They must consider all factors that might influence their experiment, control the variables and carry out at least 3 trials to make sure their test is fair. When we read a scientist’s EXPERIMENT DESIGN we will be able to read about... *all the possible variables in the experiment and specifically how the scientist has controlled them. *the number of trials that will be carried out. *any other things that the scientist has done to make their experiment a fair test such as using a control or special equipment.
During their experiments, scientists record very detailed DATA about what happened. DATA can be measurements or observations. DATA can be recorded using numbers, tables, photos, or words. When we read a scientist’s DATA we will know exactly what happened during the scientist’s trials. Once a scientist has recorded their DATA, they sum it all up using sentences or graphs. These summaries are the scientist’s RESULTS. When we read a scientist’s RESULTS we are able to know what the overall outcomes of the trials were.
Once a scientist has the RESULTS of their experiment, they then study these RESULTS carefully. They think about and look for, a variety of things in their RESULTS and come to some CONCLUSIONS about their experiment. When scientists are writing CONCLUSIONS they... ...look for evidence that their HYPOTHESIS was either correct or incorrect. ...think about possible reasons why they got the RESULTS they did, and look for evidence in their RESULTS to support these ideas. ...look for patterns or lack of patterns in their results. ...think about whether their experiment was a fair test and how this might have effected their RESULTS. ...consider further experiments they might do to find out more.
A scientist’s LOG BOOK is an extremely important part of any scientific investigation. A LOG BOOK is a type or formal diary or journal that a scientist writes in constantly during their study. A LOG BOOK is not just a record of actions, data and events but also shows a scientist’s thinking, reflections, research notes, problems, decision making and reasons for their actions. A LOG BOOK also records who a scientist went to or talked to for help, such as other scientists of specialists. When we read a scientist’s log book we get a very detailed and inside view of the whole process they went through during their investigation.