can’t investigate. Recording and writing up an investigation is an integral part of the scientific
method.
A step-by-step guide to the scientific method
- The question
Scientists are curious people, and most investigations arise from a scientist noticing some-
thing that they don’t understand. Therefore the first step to any scientific investigation is:
- Ask a question to which you want to find an answer.
- What is happening?
- How is it happening?
- When is it occurring?
- Why is it happening?
- Example: A farmer notices that his tomato plants that are shaded have smaller tomatoes
than his plants that are in a sunny spot, which makes him wonder: ’Does the amount
of sunlight a tomato plant receives affect the size of tomatoes?’
Chapter 1. Introduction to Life Sciences 7