scientific investigation
Methodical hypothesis testing
Scientific investigation is the systematic process of asking questions about the natural world and seeking answers through observation, experimentation, and analysis.
It typically follows a method: formulating a hypothesis, designing experiments to test it, collecting data, and drawing conclusions based on evidence.
The term applies broadly, from a student's scientific investigation of plant growth to major research projects.
In legal and regulatory contexts, a scientific investigation may be conducted to determine facts about disputed matters like environmental contamination or product safety.
- microscopeInstrument for viewing minute objects
- observationAttentive watching or remark
- biologyStudy of organisms
- integrityMoral soundness and consistency
- hypothesis testingStatistical method for evaluating claims
null hypothesis · double blind · transparency · peer review · theories · replication · measure · data collection · accountability · experimentation · telescope · predictions · modeling · falsifiability · chemistry · laws · record · grant funding
scientific investigationguesswork
Conclusions drawn without proof
speculation · conjecture · wild guess · intuition · gut feeling
scientific investigationblind faith
Trust without requiring proof
superstition · dogma · mysticism · pseudoscience · magical thinking
scientific investigationidle speculation
willful ignorance · snap judgment · hasty conclusion · jumping to conclusions · knee-jerk reaction
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