How does one conduct a valid scientific experiment?

Answer 1

Here is the take of a non-science professional who is interested in science. Experiments can be sloppy and valid. They can also be slick and invalid. If a person does research with no intention of being fraudulent, and the research is carefully and honestly documented, then it is 'valid'. Where the experiment might be weak or badly controlled should be completely clear from the way the research was documented. There should be no attempt to doctor the data after the fact, or make procedures appear more accurately or painstakingly carried out than was actually the case. Results may have come out in favor of the hypothesis, but the value or weight of the conclusions should be able to be determined by a fair peer review. This is a broad understanding of 'valid'. Valid does not relate to whether the results support the hypothesis, but to how much relative weight can be given to the results, whichever way they go. If research is transparent, it is valid even if it's sloppy. Slick studies can use procedures and statistical tests that are so sophisticated that they are actually wrongly applied to the research question at hand, and few people would even pick up on it. Studies like this I would consider invalid. There are occasionally very embarrassing reports of completely bogus studies that have snuck through the peer review process. The best research involves experiments that are carefully and honestly done, thoroughly and accurately reported, and well controlled. All the better if they are replicated by respected researchers at a few other labs. The BBC reported on 9/9/09 that the peer review system may be on the verge of breaking down. There are too many studies being submitted to publishers from too many places. It is not the number of studies, but the difficulty in adequately reviewing them all. Reviewers have the unenviable task of determining whether or not a study is worthy of publication, with few if any ways to determine whether or not the study has been done ethically and reported honestly. What do reviewers do with studies that report radical or unexpected results? Do they conclude that the study is ground-breaking, or rule-breaking?

Answer 2

You come up with a question, and then the purpose of the experiment is to try to answer the question. You should follow the scientific method to run your experiment correctly.

Answer 3

by step-by-step procedure or use the scientific method.,.,.,..,.,

Answer 4

you perform experiments by making sure you have all your supplies and everything you need to do the experiment and then you get your data

Answer 5

always follow the techer intrustions.Before beginning the experment ,make sure you understand every step and the procedure and the safely info. Read and learn the safety information.