Prepare for a Scientific Investigation

Preparing for a Scientific Investigation

Understand the purpose of the investigation. What is the investigation trying to find out?
Formulate a clear, concise and focused research question. This forms the basis of your investigation.

Identify independent, dependent and controlled variables. The independent variable is what you are changing, the dependent variable is what you measure, and the controlled variables are kept the same to ensure a fair test.
Consider the equipment that will be necessary for your experiment. Make a list of all the materials you will need.
Construct a detailed method. This should be a step-by-step plan of how to carry out your investigation.

Based on preliminary reading or knowledge, make an educated guess on the outcome of the research. This is called a hypothesis.
The hypothesis should ideally be a testable prediction that states what you expect to happen when the independent variable is changed.

Identify any potential risks involved in your experiment.
Create a risk assessment that details these potential hazards and what measures you will take to minimise them.

Determine in advance how you will record your findings.
Decide on the type of data you want to collect - this could be qualitative (descriptive) or quantitative (numerical) data.

Plan how you will analyse this data.
Identify what statistical tests you may need to perform on your data to interpret your findings.

Consider in advance what the limitations or errors could be in your investigation. These could be systematic errors, random errors or human errors.
Think about how you would validate or verify your results and how reliable and accurate your data will be.