Types of Scientific Research Descriptive Experimental
Descriptive Based mostly on observations Examples: Animal behavior Collecting rock samples from other planets
Descriptive Research State the objective Design the investigation what you want to find out Design the investigation How you will conduct the investigation What steps? What materials? What data? Eliminate bias
Descriptive Research Analyze data Draw Conclusions Communicate results
Experimental Research Involves the control & manipulation of variables Examples: Testing the effect of antibiotics on bacteria Comparing the strength of different brands of paper towels
Experimental Research State the question What you want to find out Develop a hypothesis Educated guess about the relationship between the variables Design the experiment What steps? What data? Controlled variables Repeated trials
Experimental Research Collect & analyze data Draw conclusions Communicate results