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THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
I.    BRIEF SUMMARY
A short definition of the scientific method is that it is a way to ask and answer scientific questions by making observations and doing experiments. 
A.    Steps of the scientific method are: 
1. Asking a question that can be answered by measuring or analyzing outcomes; 
2. Doing background research to determine the best way to proceed;
3. Constructing a hypothesis that focuses how the question will be answered;
4. Testing your hypothesis by doing an experiment; 
5. Analyzing your data and drawing a conclusion (about your question); and 
6. Communicating your results through a written report and/or demonstration providing the details of your experiment and its results.

II.    DETAILED OVERVIEW OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
The scientific method is a process for experimentation that is used to explore observations and answer questions. Scientists use the scientific method to search for cause and effect relationships in nature. In other words, they design an experiment so that changes to one item cause something else to vary in a predictable way. That is, the scientific method will help you to focus your science fair project question, construct a hypothesis, and to design, execute, and evaluate your experiment. 

II.    STEPS OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

A. Ask a Question: The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where? In order for the scientific method to answer the question it must be about something that you can measure, preferably with a number.

B. Do Background Research: Rather than starting from scratch in putting together a plan for answering your question, use the library and Internet research to help you find the best way to do things and to insure that you don't repeat mistakes.

C. Construct a Hypothesis: A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work: "If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen." You must state your hypothesis in a way that you can easily measure, and your hypothesis should be constructed in a way to help you answer your original question. 

D. Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment: Your experiment tests whether your hypothesis is true or false. It is important for your experiment to be a fair test. You conduct a fair test by making sure that you change only one factor (variable) at a time while keeping all other conditions the same. If possible, repeat your experiments several times to make sure that the first results weren't just an accident. 

E. Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion: Once your experiment is complete, collect your measurements and analyze them to see if your hypothesis is true or false. Scientists, who discover that their hypothesis was false, should construct a new hypothesis and start the entire process of the scientific method over again. Even if the hypothesis turns out to be true, they may want to test it again in a new way. Be aware that the answers (or outcomes) of your experiment are usually demonstrated through a graph or chart.

F. Communicate Your Results: To complete your science fair project you will communicate your results to others in a final report and/or a display board. Professional scientists do almost exactly the same thing by publishing their final report in a scientific journal or by presenting their results on a poster at a scientific meeting.

III.    OTHER THINGS TO REMEMBER

A.  Even though the scientific method is usually shown as a series of steps, new information or thinking might cause a scientist to stop and repeat steps at any point during the process. 

B.  Keep a journal containing all of your important ideas and information.

C.  Keep your thinking straight about the independent and dependent variables. The independent variable is what you, the experimenter, changes in order to do the experiment. The dependent variable is what changes when the independent variable changes - the dependent variable depends on the outcome of the independent variable (and it is what you measure.)