Importance of the Scientific Method – Importance of Each Step in the Scientific Method

The scientific method has been called the greatest idea of all time. It is also the greatest quality standard of all time as well.  It is a guide requiring all the mental activity steps or stages comprised in a complete act of thought.

Discuss the Importance of Each Step in the Scientific Method

Each step or stage in the scientific method serves as a guide to be sure you follow all the steps or stages of the scientific method. Certain steps or stages serve a special quality purpose. These are:

A. Challenge of Solution – Step or Stage 8

Included in the steps and stages is the challenge stage (Step or Stage 8 in the SM-14 formula) requiring that after  evaluating all known alternatives, the problem solver puts his or her hypothesis to a more detailed analysis and test. This is often also called the testing or experimental step.

B. Suspend Judgment, Keep an Open Mind – Step or Stage 10

High quality of thought, reasoning and testing are often hard to achieve, so the method requires one to keep an open mind with the final conclusion (Step or Stage 10 in the SM-14 formula).

C. Action Stage – Step or Stage 11

The action stage often calls for an individual or team’s conclusion or theory to be submitted to the peer review process or to a group review. Theoretically, while the importance, time and money factors have to be considered, the peer reviewers should also follow the steps or stages and standards of the scientific method in reaching their conclusions. This step or stage also requires “looking back” with an open mind for checking the quality and correctness of actions taken. This is especially important if it is a case in which no peer review is involved.

D. The Supporting Ingredients -
Methods, Procedural Principles and Theories,
Personal Attributes and Thinking Skills

In following the scientific method, scientists and others have devised through the centuries various methods, procedural principles and theories, and personal attributes and thinking skill requirements. These are essentially quality standards to help ensure that the results produced by the method are as near to the truth as humanly possible if the supporting ingredients are correctly applied. So no matter what field, domain, or personal situation is involved, these must be carefully used.

Thus the scientific method is a system not just a series of steps or stages.