What is Science Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

What do we think we know and why do we think we know it Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Will it fall ? Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Can you PROVEit ? Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Levels of Uncertainty Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Can you prove that I am standing here ? Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Can you prove that I am standing here ? Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

How do we get as close to the truth as possible? Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

method The scientific Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Fig. 1.3A Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Fig. 1.3A Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Fig. 1.3A Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

We are always doing science… Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

The Earth sure looks flat… Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Tentative and Fallible Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Scientific finding are tentative Conclusions and can be incorrect Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

The more data we collect to support Conclusions a hypothesis, The less uncertain we are about its correctness. Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Because the level of uncertainty can Conclusions NEVER be zero We can never be certain of anything and therefore… Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Conclusions we don’t know anything for sure and what we do know might not be true! Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Research Methods AIM: What is Science? Graph level of uncertainty vs. observable data

Research Methods AIM: What is Science? Guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

DOUBT! (There can always be another explanation) Research Methods AIM: What is Science? The greatest tool of the scientist: To make observations that break or add to the current hypotheses/theories getting us one step closer to the… TRUTH The job of the scientist:

So is this class really about science ? Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

GOD and Science Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Basic vs. Applied Research Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Quotes concerning basic research Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Fig. 1.3A Research Methods AIM: What is Science? What do scientists do with their results?

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary scientific literature Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Primary literature 1. Articles that present NEW data Research Methods AIM: What is Science? 2. Contains personal views of experimenters about the data 3. Are Peer reviewed

Primary literature general format Research Methods AIM: What is Science? 1. Title 2. Abstract (summary) 3. Introduction (Background) 4. Material and Methods 5. Results 6. Discussion 7. Conclusion 8. Acknowledgements 9. References (citations)

The process to get published Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

The author list and the order of the authors, what does it mean? Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

If you found one paper, you really found dozens…. Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

How to get into a summer lab… Guest speaker? Student who has done this. Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

The process to become a professor/scientist Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

The hierarchy of scientific journals and impact factors Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Getting funding – Grants, grants, grants “Publish or perish” Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Secondary literature 1. Derived from primary literature Research Methods AIM: What is Science? Ex. Reviews, textbooks 2. NOT Peer reviewed – less reliable

Tertiary literature 1. Derived from primary literature and secondary literature Research Methods AIM: What is Science? Ex. Reference books 2. NOT Peer reviewed

Ranking of source reliability Research Methods AIM: What is Science? 1. primary articles in journals/periodicals (e.g., Nature, Science, Evolution, Cell) 2. primary articles in books 3. review articles in journals/periodicals 4. book chapters 5. textbooks 6. articles in popular-press periodicals (e.g., Natural History, Scientific American) 7. articles in magazines (e.g., Vogue) 8. newspaper articles 9. laboratory manuals 10. product manuals 11. brochures 12. lecture notes 13. personal communications ( , telephone, etc.) with scientists 14. web sites, rumors, hearsay, voices in your head 15. outright fabrications

How do we find primary/secondary journal articles? Research Methods AIM: What is Science? 1. Electronic Databases 2. Searching in a specific journal 3. Use citations from another paper

Obtaining articles: Research Methods AIM: What is Science? 1. Check if the online journal offers free articles 2. Interlibrary loan system If not…

How to use the Interlibrary loan system: Research Methods AIM: What is Science? 1. Print out ONLY the abstract of the article with volume/issue information (1 page)

How to use the Interlibrary loan system: Research Methods AIM: What is Science? 2. Put your full name and period on the print out DO NOT BUY ARTICLES!! 3. Bring to DrT for approval signature 4. Turn in to Mr. Reader (Librarian)

Citing sources…why? Research Methods AIM: What is Science? 1. It is someone else’s intellectual property 2. It lends credibility to your work 3. Enables readers to locate your information sources

Citing sources…what? Research Methods AIM: What is Science? Whenever you use someone else’s intellectual property: * Exact words (quoting) * Paraphrasing * Concepts and ideas * Facts that are not common knowledge * Pictures, photos, poems, cartoons, or other artwork you did not create yourself

Citing sources…kinds of sources? Research Methods AIM: What is Science? * Books * Articles (from print sources or from online article databases) * Interviews * or any other correspondence * Web pages * Government documents * Non-print media (videotapes, audiotapes, pictures and images) * Software or any digital formats

Citing sources…how? Research Methods AIM: What is Science? We will use the APA (American Psychological Association) format in research methods It has been shown that apes do not actually understand the syntax and structure of ASL (Smith, 1994, p. 345). Example in text citation: Smith, J.A. (1994). Finding ways to overcome college stress. Stress Reliever, 24, Example reference:

What about Wikipedia? Research Methods AIM: What is Science?

Plagiarism Research Methods AIM: What is Science? * to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own * to use (another's production) without crediting the source * to commit literary theft * to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source. Plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.

Research Methods AIM: What is Science? All of the following are considered plagiarism: * turning in someone else's work as your own * copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit * failing to put a quotation in quotation marks * giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation * changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit * copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided by citing sources.