Since the dawn of time, humans were eager to find explanations for the world around them. At first, our scientific method was very simplistic and somewhat naive. We observed and reflected. But with the progressive evolution of research methods and thinking paradigms, we arrived into the modern era of enlightenment and science. So what represents the modern scientific method and how can you accurately share and present your research findings to others? These are the two fundamental questions we attempt to answer in this post.
What is the Scientific Method?
To better understand the concept, let’s start with this scientific method definition from the International Encyclopedia of Human Geography:
The scientific method is a way of conducting research, based on theory construction, the generation of testable hypotheses, their empirical testing, and the revision of theory if the hypothesis is rejected.
Essentially, a scientific method is a cumulative term, used to describe the process any scientist uses to objectively interpret the world (and specific phenomenon) around them.
The scientific method is the opposite of beliefs and cognitive biases— mostly irrational, often unconscious, interpretations of different occurrences that we lean on as a mental shortcut.
The scientific method in research, on the contrary, forces the thinker to holistically assess and test our approaches to interpreting data. So that they could gain consistent and non-arbitrary results.
The common scientific method examples are:
- Systematic observation
- Experimentation
- Inductive and deductive reasoning
- Formation and testing of hypotheses and theories
All of the above are used by both scientists and businesses to make better sense of the data and/or phenomenon at hand.
The Evolution of the Scientific Method
According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ancient thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle are believed to be the forefathers of the scientific method. They were among the first to try to justify and refine their thought process using the scientific method experiments and deductive reasoning.
Both developed specific systems for knowledge acquisition and processing. For example, the Platonic way of knowledge emphasized reasoning as the main method for learning but downplayed the importance of observation. The Aristotelian corpus of knowledge, on the contrary, said that we must carefully observe the natural world to discover its fundamental principles.
In medieval times, thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas, Roger Bacon, and Andreas Vesalius among many others worked on further clarifying how we can obtain proven knowledge through observation and induction.
The 16th–18th centuries are believed to have given the greatest advances in terms of scientific method application. We, humans, learned to better interpret the world around us from mechanical, biological, economic, political, and medical perspectives. Thinkers such as Galileo Galilei, Francis Bacon, and their followers also increasingly switched to a tradition of explaining everything through mathematics, geometry, and numbers.
Up till today, mathematical and mechanical explanations remain the core parts of the scientific method.
Why is the Scientific Method Important Today?
Because our ancestors didn’t have as much data as we do. We now live in the era of paramount data accessibility and connectivity, where over 2.5 quintillions of data are produced each day. This has tremendously accelerated knowledge creation.
But, at the same time, such overwhelming exposure to data made us more prone to external influences, biases, and false beliefs. These can jeopardize the objectivity of any research you are conducting.
Scientific findings need to remain objective, verifiable, accurate, and consistent. Diligent usage of scientific methods in modern business and science helps ensure proper data interpretation, results replication, and undisputable validity.
6 Steps of the Scientific Method
Over the course of history, the scientific method underwent many interactions. Yet, it still carries some of the integral steps our ancestors used to analyze the world such as observation and inductive reasoning. However, the modern scientific method steps differ a bit.
1. Make an Observation
An observation serves as a baseline for your research. There are two important characteristics for a good research observation:
- It must be objective, not subjective.
- It must be verifiable, meaning others can say it’s true or false with this.
For example, This apple is red (objective/verifiable observation). This apple is delicious (subjective, harder-to-verify observation).
2. Develop a Hypothesis
Observations tell us about the present or past. But the goal of science is to glean in the future. A scientific hypothesis is based on prior knowledge and produced through reasoning as an attempt to descriptive a future event.
Here are characteristics of a good scientific hypothesis:
- General and tentative idea
- Agrees with all available observations
- Testable and potentially falsifiable
Remember: If we state our hypothesis to indicate there is no effect, our hypothesis is a cause-and-effect relationship. A hypothesis, which asserts no effect, is called a null hypothesis.
3. Make a Prediction
A hypothesis is a mental “launchpad” for predicting the existence of other phenomena or quantitative results of new observations.
Going back to an earlier example here’s how to turn it into a hypothesis and a potential prediction for proving it. For example: If this apple is red, other apples of this type should be red too.
Your goal is then to decide which variables can help you prove or disprove your hypothesis and prepare to test these.
4. Perform an Experiment
Collect all the information around variables that will help you prove or disprove your prediction. According to the scientific method, a hypothesis has to be discarded or modified if its predictions are clearly and repeatedly incompatible with experimental results.
Yes, you may come up with an elegant theory. However, if your hypothetical predictions cannot be backed by experimental results, you cannot use them as a valid explanation of the phenomenon.
5. Analyze the Results of the Experiment
To come up with proof for your hypothesis, use different statistical analysis methods to interpret the meaning behind your data.
Remember to stay objective and emotionally unattached to your results. If 95 apples turned red, but 5 were yellow, does it disprove your hypothesis? Not entirely. It may mean that you didn’t account for all variables and must adapt the parameters of your experiment.
Here are some common data analysis techniques, used as a part of a scientific method:
- Statistical analysis
- Cause and effect analysis (see cause and effect analysis slides)
- Regression analysis
- Factor analysis
- Cluster analysis
- Time series analysis
- Diagnostic analysis
- Root cause analysis (see root cause analysis slides)
6. Draw a Conclusion
Every experiment has two possible outcomes:
- The results correspond to the prediction
- The results disprove the prediction
If that’s the latter, as a scientist you must discard the prediction then and most likely also rework the hypothesis based on it.
How to Give a Scientific Presentation to Showcase Your Methods
Whether you are doing a poster session, conference talk, or follow-up presentation on a recently published journal article, most of your peers need to know how you’ve arrived at the presented conclusions.
In other words, they will probe your scientific method for gaps to ensure that your results are fair and possible to replicate. So that they could incorporate your theories in their research too. Thus your scientific presentation must be sharp, on-point, and focus clearly on your research approaches.
Below we propose a quick framework for creating a compelling scientific presentation in PowerPoint (+ some helpful templates!).
1. Open with a Research Question
Here’s how to start a scientific presentation with ease: share your research question. On the first slide, briefly recap how your thought process went. Briefly state what was the underlying aim of your research: Share your main hypothesis, mention if you could prove or disprove them.
It might be tempting to pack a lot of ideas into your first slide but don’t. Keep the opening of your presentation short to pique the audience’s initial interest and set the stage for the follow-up narrative.
2. Disclose Your Methods
Whether you are doing a science poster presentation or conference talk, many audience members would be curious to understand how you arrived at your results. Deliver this information at the beginning of your presentation to avoid any ambiguities.
Here’s how to organize your science methods on a presentation:
- Do not use bullet points or full sentences. Use diagrams and structured images to list the methods
- Use visuals and iconography to use metaphors where possible.
- Organize your methods by groups e.g. quantifiable and non-quantifiable
Finally, when you work on visuals for your presentation — charts, graphs, illustrations, etc. — think from the perspective of a subject novice. Does the image really convey the key information around the subject? Does it help break down complex ideas?
3. Spotlight the Results
Obviously, the research results will be your biggest bragging right. However, don’t over-pack your presentation with a long-winded discussion of your findings and how revolutionary these may be for the community.
Rather than writing a wall of text, do this instead:
- Use graphs with large axis values/numbers to showcase the findings in great detail
- Prioritize formats that are known to everybody (e.g. odds ratios, Kaplan Meier curves, etc.)
- Do not include more than 5 lines of plain text per slide
Overall, when you feel that the results slide gets too cramped, it’s best to move the data to a new one.
Also, as you work on organizing data on your scientific presentation PowerPoint template, think if there are obvious limitations and gaps. If yes, make sure you acknowledge them during your speech.
4. Mention Study Limitations
The scientific method mandates objectivity. That’s why every researcher must clearly state what was excluded from their study. Remember: no piece of scientific research is truly universal and has certain boundaries. However, when you fail to personally state those, others might struggle to draw the line themselves and replicate your results. Then, if they fail to do so, they’d question the viability of your research.
5. Conclude with a Memorable Takeaway Message
Every experienced speaker will tell you that the audience best retains the information they hear first and last. Most people will attend more than one scientific presentation during the day.
So if you want the audience to better remember your talk, brainstorm a take-home message for the last slide of your presentation. Think of your last slide texts as an elevator pitch — a short, concluding message, summarizing your research.
To Conclude
Today we have no shortage of research and scientific methods for testing and proving our hypothesis. However, unlike our ancestors, most scientists experience deeper scrutiny when it comes to presenting and explaining their findings to others. That’s why it’s important to ensure that your scientific presentation clearly relays the aim, vector, and thought process behind your research.
