The Purpose of Using the Scientific Method
The scientific method is a progressive and repetitive process, from making an observation, to formulating a hypothesis, to conducting an experiment, and finally making a new observation [2,3].
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In the end, we can come up with a possible theory or model of our subject of interest [2].
Let's look back to that plant you were growing.
First you examined the effect of the amount of times your plant is watered. After the experiment, you identified the best condition among all conditions tested.
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At this stage, your study is hypothesis driven, because all of the experiments you conducted on your plant were based on the hypothesis generated from your observations and prior research [4].
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I finished my experiments, and my results successfully support my hypothesis. Is there anything else that I can do?
Of course! You may proceed on testing, for instance, different levels of sunlight given, or different temperature conditions. Finally, from the data and the conclusions you reach, you can create a profile for this plant containing details that display and model all of its growth conditions and characteristics.
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Now, when data is collected from performing experiments and subsequent hypotheses are formulated based on previous data, your study becomes data driven [4].
Bias in the Scientific Method
You should be aware that not all results you obtain can be used to formulate your conclusion [5]. Recall that the control variable is something you must take into consideration before carrying out your experiments [1].
For example, while you were looking at the effect of changing the amount of times your plants are watered, you placed 4 pots on your balcony and left 2 pots inside your living room because you ran out of space. You controlled for the amount of water given to the plants each time. After your watering experiments, you found out that the plant on the balcony that was watered 3 times a day happened to grow the tallest and with the most leaves.
Can you confidently conclude that this is the best watering condition for your plant?
Of course, it is quite unrealistic to control for every single variable that may affect the growth of your plants. However, you should always perform thorough research before conducting your experiments to control for variables that could skew your results.
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