SCIENTIFIC METHOD
The scientific method
is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge,
or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a
method of inquiry must be based on empirical and measurable evidence subject to
specific principles of reasoning. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the
scientific method as: "a method or procedure that has characterized
natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement,
and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of
hypotheses."
The chief
characteristic which distinguishes the scientific method from other methods of
acquiring knowledge is that scientists seek to let reality speak for itself,[discuss]
supporting a theory when a theory's predictions are confirmed and challenging a
theory when its predictions prove false. Although procedures vary from one
field of inquiry to another, identifiable features distinguish scientific
inquiry from other methods of obtaining knowledge. Scientific researchers
propose hypotheses as explanations of phenomena, and design experimental
studies to test these hypotheses via predictions which can be derived from
them. These steps must be repeatable, to guard against mistake or confusion in
any particular experimenter. Theories that encompass wider domains of inquiry
may bind many independently derived hypotheses together in a coherent,
supportive structure. Theories, in turn, may help form new hypotheses or place
groups of hypotheses into context.
