scientific rigor
Exacting research standards
Scientific rigor refers to the strict application of methods, standards, and principles that ensure research findings are reliable and valid.
Rigorous science demands careful experimental design, precise measurement, appropriate statistical analysis, and transparent reporting of results—including negative or unexpected ones.
A study lacking rigor may produce results that cannot be replicated or that overstate conclusions.
The journal rejected the paper for insufficient scientific rigor.
Rigor is what separates credible research from pseudoscience or sloppy inquiry.
- experimental designStructured plan for research
- control groupsUnaltered experimental baselines
- control variableUnchanged experimental factor
- data integrityReliability of stored information
- raw dataUnanalyzed collected information
double blind study · lab notebook · hypothesis testing · null hypothesis · peer review · gold standard · transparency · randomization · statistical significance · margin of error · reproducibility · replication · accountability · falsifiability · standardization · blinding · preregistration · confidence intervals
- paranormalghosts, paranormal, haunting, poltergeist, apparition
scientific rigorsloppiness
Lack of neatness
carelessness · junk science · imprecision · looseness · inexactness
scientific rigorpseudoscience
Bogus methodology posing as factual
superstition · wishful thinking · dogma · blind faith · magical thinking
scientific rigorsloppiness
Lack of neatness
hand-waving · motivated reasoning · fuzzy thinking · superficiality · bias
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