A six-step, structured approach to incident investigation (Fig 1) helps to ensure that all the causes are uncovered and addressed by appropriate actions.

The scientific method

• Make an observation.
• Ask a question.
• Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation.
• Make a prediction based on the hypothesis.
• Test the prediction.
• Iterate: use the results to make new hypotheses or predictions.

Scientists use three types of investigations to research and develop explanations for events in the nature: descriptive investigation, comparative investigation, and experimental investigation.

• Step 1 – Immediate action.
• Step 2 – Plan the investigation.
• Step 3 – Data collection.
• Step 4 – Data analysis.
• Step 5 – Corrective actions.
• Step 6 – Reporting.

The scientific method is an empirical method of acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century. It involves careful observation, applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation.

Example of the Scientific Method

• Observation: My toaster doesn’t work.
• Question: Is something wrong with my electrical outlet?
• Hypothesis: If something is wrong with the outlet, my coffeemaker also won’t work when plugged into it.
• Experiment: I plug my coffeemaker into the outlet.
• Result: My coffeemaker works!

How to Use the Scientific Method in Everyday Life

1. Locate or identify a problem to solve.
2. Describe the problem in detail.
3. Form a hypothesis about what the possible cause of the problem might be, or what a potential solution could be.

The first thing to do with the scientific method is to come up with a question. You can’t find the answer until you know the question after all! Next you need to observe and gather information in order to come up with a guess (called a hypothesis) or a number of guesses to the answer.

A good scientific question is one that can have an answer and be tested. For example: “Why is that a star?” is not as good as “What are stars made of?” 2. A good scientific question can be tested by some experiment or measurement that you can do.

A scientific problem is something you don’t understand but you can do an experiment to help you understand. Scientific problems are usually based on observation of scientific phenomena. Here is some advice to help you identify a scientific problem you can address by designing your own experiment.

In the scientific method, observations lead to questions that require answers. In the scientific method, the hypothesis is a testable statement proposed to answer a question. In the scientific method, experiments (often with controls and variables) are devised to test hypotheses.

The Six Steps

• Purpose/Question. Ask a question.
• Research. Conduct background research.
• Hypothesis. Propose a hypothesis.
• Experiment. Design and perform an experiment to test your hypothesis.
• Data/Analysis. Record observations and analyze the meaning of the data.
• Conclusion.

The five components of the scientific method are: observations, questions, hypothesis, methods and results. Following the scientific method procedure not only ensures that the experiment can be repeated by other researchers, but also that the results garnered can be accepted.

Lesson Summary Steps of a scientific investigation include identifying a research question or problem, forming a hypothesis, gathering evidence, analyzing evidence, deciding whether the evidence supports the hypothesis, drawing conclusions, and communicating the results.

7 Steps of the Scientific Method

• Step 7- Communicate. Present/share your results. Replicate.
• Step 1- Question. The “thing” that you want to know. The question you want to answer.
• Step 2-Research. Conduct research. Information about the problem. What is already known?
• Step 3-Hypothesis.
• Step 4-Experiment.
• Step 5-Observations.
• Step 6-Results/Conclusion.

Steps of a Scientific Investigation

• Identify a research question or problem.
• Form a hypothesis.
• Gather evidence, or data, to test the hypothesis.
• Analyze the evidence.
• Decide whether the evidence supports the hypothesis.
• Draw conclusions.
• Communicate the results.

That procedure is commonly called the scientific method and consists of the following eight steps: observation, asking a question, gathering information, forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, making conclusions, reporting, and evaluating.

The final step in the scientific method is the conclusion. The conclusion will either clearly support the hypothesis or it will not. If the results support the hypothesis a conclusion can be written.

The basic steps of the scientific method are: 1) make an observation that describes a problem, 2) create a hypothesis, 3) test the hypothesis, and 4) draw conclusions and refine the hypothesis.

Scientific method helps many scientists in solving problems and in making their experiments, but not only scientific problems can be solve by it’s steps. It has also a potential to help us to be successful in our everyday life and solve many personal problems of a ordinary people.

The scientific revolution, which emphasized systematic experimentation as the most valid research method, resulted in developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry. These developments transformed the views of society about nature.

It is too easy to make assumptions, to believe what you want to believe, to ignore data that conflict with what you think. And as human beings, scientists can be all too guilty of these errors. The scientific method is a way to prevent these mistakes. It doesn’t always work, but it demonstrably has had some successes.

Key Info. Your conclusions summarize how your results support or contradict your original hypothesis: Summarize your science fair project results in a few sentences and use this summary to support your conclusion. Include key facts from your background research to help explain your results as needed.

Sentence #1: restate the thesis by making the same point with other words (paraphrase). ~ Example: Thesis: “Dogs are better pets than cats.” Paraphrased: “Dogs make the best pets in the world.”

A conclusion is a short paragraph that discusses the overall results of an experimental procedure and explains whether the proposed hypothesis at the beginning of the experiment was correct or not.

Writing a Scientific Conclusion

• Make a claim: Answer your testable question. “In this experiment, the (pick one category/level of your IV) caused (insert specific change to the DV).”
• Provide evidence: Explain how your data support your claim.
• Use reasoning: Explain why your evidence matters.

Conclusion outline

• Topic sentence. Fresh rephrasing of thesis statement.
• Supporting sentences. Summarize or wrap up the main points in the body of the essay. Explain how ideas fit together.
• Closing sentence. Final words. Connects back to the introduction. Provides a sense of closure.

Terms in this set (4)

• 1st. State whether or not you ACCEPT or REJECT your hypothesis.
• 2nd. Include specific data (evidence) from your experiment to support it.
• 3rd. Discuss if the problem/question has been answered.
• 4th. Describe further problems/experiments that should be conducted.

Structure and Writing Style. The function of your paper’s conclusion is to restate the main argument. It reminds the reader of the strengths of your main argument(s) and reiterates the most important evidence supporting those argument(s).