What do scientists do? 

 


Many students hear that scientists use a five-step "scientific method" in their work.

But real science is much more varied than that and can involve many other steps.

Here are just some of the activities that scientists carry out in the course of their work.

 






Observe the worldAsk questionsSolve mysteriesGet surprised, and discover something newLocate funding sourcesHypothesizeConsider and compare alternative ideasDiscover lawsEstablish theoriesPlan investigationsFormulate goalsExploreCollaborate with other scientistsBuild on previous scientific workExperimentGather evidenceEvaluate the evidenceCalculate uncertainty or levels of confidenceSummarize resultsDraw conclusionsCollaborateReport findingsMeasureGraphModelComputeEstimate
©2002 M. Bobrowsky