"Asteroid Eros Yields Secrets From Time
Before Earth Was Born"
"Discovery Of Armored Viruses May Inspire New Designs For
Nanotechnology"
"Mechanism Found Behind Drug-Free Acceptance Of Transplants"
"Combination Of Radiation And Hormone Suppression Therapy Shown To
Effectively Treat Early-Stage Prostate Cancer"
"UF Technique Detects Tiny, Potentially Harmful Airborne Particles"
"Research Measures Migraine's Impact On "Typical" Sufferer,
Links Migraine And Depression"
"Stress Could Increase Risk Of Heart Disease In Women"
"Out Of Time: Researchers Recreate 1665 Clock Experiment To Gain Insight
Into Modern Synchronized Oscillators"
The above are headlines from science stories
posted in a single day on just one science news Web site, ScienceDaily.com.
These are not unlike dozens of other stories we see every week in the media
reporting the latest research findings and how they may impact our lives.
According to surveys by the National Science Foundation (NSF),
Americans have great confidence in science. In 2022, 88% of U.S. adults agreed
that scientific research that advances the frontiers of knowledge is necessary
and deserves federal government support. (NSF, 2024)
The purpose of this tutorial is to demystify the
process of science. Once you are familiar with the basic elements of a good
research study you will be able to read news stories like the ones listed above
with a more critical eye. You will understand that the headlines reported by
the media and the research conclusions often are not the same, and you will
know why.
In addition to this introduction section, this
tutorial is organized into five main sections. "Science Surrounds Us"
discusses the relevance of science in our everyday lives. "What Is
Science?" defines and outlines the basic principles of science. "The
Scientific Method" describes the general steps of most research studies
and explains how experiments are carried out. "Theories in Science"
defines one of the most misunderstood words in science: theory, and
contrasts theories with hypothesis, facts, and natural laws. Science is only
one of many ways of looking at the world. In the final section, "The
Limits of Science," the methods and purposes of science are compared to
those of philosophy, religion and the Arts. This section also defines "pseudoscience"
and explains how it differs from true science. The tutorial is interactive
throughout and designed to be engaging. In the words of Albert Einstein,
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the
fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true
science" ("The World as I See It," in Living Philosophies
[New York: Simon & Schuster, 1931], 7).
After completing this tutorial, you should be able
to:
The following Internet sites provide reports of
recent discoveries in the sciences. Many of these articles may be appropriate
for use in writing assignments or class conferences. They are also provided to
show how basic scientific investigations can relate directly to practical
everyday issues. Enjoy your explorations!
Science Daily Magazine. Contains many
articles on science and technology updated daily. Includes archive and search
engine.
SciCentral. Gateway to a wealth of science resources. Includes news, links, databases
and much more.
New Scientist. Includes
articles from a variety of science fields with an extensive archive and search
engine.
Each of the six sections of this tutorial is
accessible from the main menu. You can return to the main menu at any time by
clicking the Science Method Tutorial button at left.
For your first time through the tutorial, we recommend
that you proceed in the order of the numbered menu sections.
Throughout the tutorial, you will encounter
questions and activities that are designed to allow you to think about and
apply the concepts presented. These questions and activities can help you
monitor your progress throughout the tutorial.
This tutorial was developed by
and for Undergraduate Programs (UGP), University of Maryland Global Campus
(UMGC).
Christina M. Sax, Ph.D., former associate professor and academic
director of natural science, UGP, provided curriculum review of this tutorial.
Alfred J. Fournier, author of this tutorial, was an adjunct
professor who taught biology courses for UMGC. Currently, he is an entomologist
at Purdue University.
Steven Kronheim, Ph.D., former professor and academic director of
the psychology program at UMGC, provided peer review of this tutorial.
Sharon Biederman, former director, Course
Development, UGP, supervised the development and publication of this tutorial.
Kim Kehler
Devine, provided instructional design review and
served as the project manager for this tutorial.
Craig Caplan, senior editor, edited the tutorial.
Sharon Clark, Web publishing specialist, contributed
desktop publishing, graphics, and html coding support and input the materials
into the template.
Sarah Trzepacz, assistant editor, secured permissions
for copyrighted material and assisted with the quality assurance and publishing
of this tutorial.
Nancy Benson, multimedia graphic artist, provided
graphic support for this tutorial.
Traicy Garey, former assistant director of course development,
managed the quality assurance and publishing of this tutorial.