scientific method

[ sahy-uhn-tif-ik meth-uhd ]

noun

1. Often the scientific method. the method of discovery used by scientists from the Enlightenment onward, in which a question is identified, data are gathered through observation and research, a hypothesis is formulated and then tested through experimentation, and the results are analyzed to draw a conclusion: usually followed, in the scientific community, by sharing the results so that others can attempt to replicate and confirm them independently.
2. any process followed systematically to arrive at knowledge of the universe, especially in premodern times:

   In developing his systematic reflection, Thomas Aquinas followed Aristotle's scientific method as far as possible.

scientific method

noun

1. a method of investigation in which a problem is first identified and observations, experiments, or other relevant data are then used to construct or test hypotheses that purport to solve it

scientific method

1. An orderly technique of investigation that is supposed to account for scientific progress. The method consists of the following steps: (1) Careful observations of nature. (2) Deduction of natural laws . (3) Formation of hypotheses — generalizations of those laws to previously unobserved phenomena. (4) Experimental or observational testing of the validity of the predictions thus made. Actually, scientific discoveries rarely occur in this idealized, wholly rational, and orderly fashion.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scientific method¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

That points to “a larger problem with public opinion about scientific inquiry — science by social media versus science by scientific method,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

It says that thoughts and feelings cannot be measured by scientific methods and so should be ignored when analysing behaviour.

From BBC

As I’ve written, to advance this campaign the subcommittee has placed respected scientists in the dock and showered them with public vituperation, misrepresented their research and ridiculed the scientific method.

From Los Angeles Times

On the Vault Guy, his YouTube channel, Rome mixes jokes and cartoonish animations with serious discussions of scientific methods, funding, and publishing.

From Science Magazine

"This approach not only bridges ancient practices with modern scientific methods but also minimizes the use of protein therapeutics, which carry risks of inducing abnormal tissue growth and cancerous formations," Gaharwar said.

From Science Daily