Much of science is based on the induction and deduction steps exemplified in the previous page. This combination of steps has been codified as the scientific method. There is debate as to whether the scientific method underlies all scientific practice or not, but it is useful to bear it in mind as for practical purposes good science incorportatesmost of the steps in some form or another.
The scientific method may be formalised as:
- Make an initial observation.
- Set a question whose answer will improve our understanding of the observation.
- Form a hypothesis (an explanation which can be tested).
- Make a prediction based on the hypothesis.
- Test the prediction.
- Iterate: develop new hypotheses and predictions based on the results, and then repeat the process
Using the example in the previous page:
| Make an initial observation | Patients with asthma appear to have evidence of an activated immune system. |
| Set a question | What is the cause of asthma? |
| Form a hypothesis | “Asthma is a disorder resulting from an activated immune system” |
| Make a prediction | Patients with asthma will have significantly more features of an activated immune system than healthy control subjects. |
| Test the prediction | Conduct a study where various aspects of the immune system are compared in patients with asthma and healthy control subjects. |
| Iterate | Positive outcome: make further predictions testing or advance further hypotheses Negative outcome: reject this hypothesis: in other words, reject the hypothesis that asthma is a disorder resulting from an activated immune system. Therefore develop an alternative hypothesis. |