1.
The Scientific Method involves a
series of steps that are used to
investigate a natural occurrence.
As you study science you'll probably come
across many different ways of describing the
steps of the Scientific Method. Simple versions
describe just a few steps while other versions are
very detailed and can list as many more steps.
However, they all use the same basic process.

2.
Let's take a closer
look at these steps
and the vocabulary
you will need to
understand before
you start a science
project.

3.
Question
Research
Hypothesis
Experiment
Analyze
Conclusion
Communicate
Steps of
the Basic
Process

4.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
1. Question: Identify a problem.
Ask a question about the
problem that can be solved
through experimentation.

5.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
1. Question
EXAMPLE
You've noticed a problem – your favorite Spider plants are
looking droopy. The leaves are wilted and turning yellow.
You're curious about why this has happened. You want to
solve this mystery so you can help your plants be healthy.
You might ask a question like: “What is causing my plants
to wilt?”

6.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
2. Research: Spend some time
making observations. Study your
subject and take notes. Research
your topic using books, searching
online, and by talking with people.
Collect information to help you
figure out the most likely solution.

7.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
2. Research
EXAMPLE
You study your plants and make several observations
about them. You notice they are all equally wilted. You see
that the oldest leaves have yellowed the most. You check
the soil and find that it's very dry.
You browse through a plant care book. You also search the
internet, looking for articles about “wilted yellow leaves”.
You talk to owner of a greenhouse about the condition of
your plants. Now you've collected a good amount of
information about the possible causes of wilted leaves.

8.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
3. Hypothesis: Review your
research and use your critical
thinking skills to predict a
possible answer to your
question. Write it as an “If /
then” statement. A hypothesis
must be testable.

9.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
3. Hypothesis
EXAMPLE
You've learned from your research that water is very important
to plant health and you remember from your observations that
the soil around your plant was very dry. You also realize that
you've not been watering the plant regularly.
You form a hypothesis about what might be causing the plant
to wilt and write it as a testable prediction – “If my plant
receives the appropriate amount of water then it will stop
wilting.” This is a testable hypothesis – you can give the plants
water and watch what happens.

10.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
4. Experiment: Develop an
experiment to test your hypothesis.
Make a list of materials and the
actions you'll perform – these
details are called the procedure, it's
the plan you'll follow. To create a
good experiment you must design it
so that the results are measurable.

11.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
4. Experiment
EXAMPLE
To test your hypothesis you decide to give your three plants a
different amount of water and count how many leaves are wilted
each day for two weeks. You give Plant A two cups of water a
day, Plant B one cup of water a day, and Plant C no water at all.
The amount of water they receive will be the only difference
between the plants. You keep all the other conditions the same
– sunlight, temperature, fertilizer, etc.
You water and observe the plants each day, write detailed notes
and take pictures for your records. It's important to collect
accurate data during your experiment.

12.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
5. Analyze: Look back through all
of the data you've collected
during the experiment. If you
need to you can modify the
procedure and retest. You may
want to confirm the results by
repeating the experiment.

13.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
5. Analyze
EXAMPLE
You review all the data you've collected – a record of each
time you watered the plants, a daily journal describing how
they looked, a count of how many leaves on each plant are
wilted each day, and photographs of the plants.
You examine all of this information to see if the water has
made a difference in the health of the plant.
At this point you could repeat the experiment with another set
of plants and see if you get the same results, this is a way to
see if the experiment is valid.

14.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
6. Conclusion: Write a
statement about whether the
results of your experiment
reject or support your
hypothesis. Suggest ways to
study the problem further or
improve the experiment.

15.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
6. Conclusion
EXAMPLE
You've determined that Plant B, which received one cup of
water per day, has improved the most. It's leaves are no longer
wilted and the yellowing has stopped. Plant A, which received
two cups, improved some. Although its leaves are no longer
wilted they are still turning yellow. Plant C, which received no
water, continued to wilt, turned brown, and the leaves fell off.
You determine that the results support your hypothesis – the
plants that received water have no wilting. You write all of
these conclusions down. You also include ideas about further
experiments that could be done, such as testing to see if too
much water could be the cause of yellow leaves on Plant A.

16.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
7. Communicate: Prepare a
presentation to share with other
people. You can use documents,
photos, videos, charts, and model
displays. Expect to answer
questions from the audience.

17.
StepsoftheScientificM
ethod
7. Communicate
EXAMPLE
You decide to share your experiences with your science class
so you prepare a report to pass out. It includes the details of
your experiment – the list of materials, the procedures, and the
conditions you kept the same. This information will allow other
people to repeat your experiment if they want.
You also create a display board to highlight some of your
observations. It has pictures of the plants on day 1, 7, and 14
and a chart showing the number of wilted leaves you counted
each day. This is a way of communicating what you've learned
through the scientific process.

18.
Think you can name all
seven steps?
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