The Scientific Method and Its Importance to Research Term Paper

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scientific method in the doctoral research process.

The scientific method has long been the preferred means of conducting research in most fields, including both social sciences and hard sciences. Because the scientific methods "demands that the procedures be objective," as well as clearly stated in research papers, bias is minimized (Stangor, 2012). Moreover, the statement of procedures allows for replication of experiments, something that is integral to the peer review process. Replication is crucial for the validation of scientific research at the doctoral level and beyond.

Doctoral students might develop cogent hypotheses in their research, and those hypotheses when proven over time may evolve into widely accepted theories in their field. However, repeated testing is the only means by which to solidify theories (Harris, n.d.). The doctoral student must be relatively detached from the results of research, and the scientific method enables detachment by highlighting ways the theory can be modified for future research. Initial hypotheses may need to be altered to conform to observations subsequently made during experimentation or through research published by colleagues.

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The scientific method during doctoral research ensures that the research is widely accepted by the community, and contributes to the chosen field.

Although empiricism remains the benchmark for the scientific method, there are many means by which doctoral research can be carried out to achieve desired goals such as reliability and validity in reporting results. For example, in the social sciences, qualitative research is considered valid even though it does not use empirical models for experimentation and hypothesis testing. Similarly, the case study method allows for the testing of hypotheses using methods other than experimental research designs. Empirical observations are still being carried out in both of these cases, which is why they fall under the rubric of scientific methodologies ("Introduction to Scientific Research," n.d.). Implementing the scientific method in the doctoral process prepares the student for rigorous participation in their chosen field, through an introduction to the peer review process......

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