Scientific articles that report the results of scientific research generally follow the same outline:
Take a look to see how this corresponds to the cycle shown below.
The video in the box to the right provides some good context for understanding the scientific method and its importance to scientific research.
In your science courses, you will be learning about biology, but you will also be learning how to conduct scientific research - how to design and conduct experiments to help you find answers to a specific question. You will do this by using something called the scientific method.
Part of the scientific research process is knowing what others have already learned, and to do this, you need to look within the scientific literature that is out there.
This library resource guide has been created to support you in finding scientific articles that you can use.
Scientific Method in Brief by
The fundamental principles of the scientific method are essential for enhancing perspective, increasing productivity, and stimulating innovation. These principles include deductive and inductive logic, probability, parsimony and hypothesis testing, as well as science's presuppositions, limitations, ethics and bold claims of rationality and truth. The examples and case studies drawn upon in this book span the physical, biological and social sciences; include applications in agriculture, engineering and medicine; and also explore science's interrelationships with disciplines in the humanities such as philosophy and law. Informed by position papers on science from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Academy of Sciences and National Science Foundation, this book aligns with a distinctively mainstream vision of science. It is an ideal resource for anyone undertaking a systematic study of scientific method for the first time, from undergraduates to professionals in both the sciences and the humanities.
A Beginner's Guide to Scientific Method by
This concise book provides an introduction to the scientific method of inquiry. This book not only presents not only a methodical approach to the proper conduct of science but also contains comprehensive coverage of pseudoscience and fallacies. Compact enough to be used as a supplementary book, yet comprehensive enough in its coverage to be used as a core text, this text assists students in using the scientific method to design and assess experiments.
There are several ways in which the scientific literature is reflected in reports of scientific research.
Raff, J. (2013, August 25). How to read and understand a scientific paper: A guide for non-scientists [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://violentmetaphors.com/2013/08/25/how-to-read-and-understand-a-scientific-paper-2/
An example of the scientific method: coral snakes.
