an active, diligent, and systematic process of inquiry aimed at discovering, interpreting, and revising facts… an intellectual investigation - Wikipedia

A major guiding principle behind this effort is the idea that science courses should (among other things) help students understand how research is done and how new knowledge is discovered. The fact that most of you (who will be doing this research) are amateurs♥ doesn’t detract from or limit your ability to contribute. It’s time to jump in, get your hands dirty and just do it. You may like it, you will see, Dr. Seuss.

What does a research scientist do? You’ve probably been told and tested on the nature of the scientific method, so consider the following as only a reminder, phrased a little differently. The process often involves but is not limited to the following activities:

• Ask a question
• Know the field – what is and is not known
• Use appropriate method(s) and/or instrument(s) (possibly interdisciplinary)
• Conduct experiments and gather data
• Analyze and interpret that data
• Draw deductions and conclusions
• Design and run new experiments

Data acquisition and interpretation is an ongoing process. New researchers have to become familiar with existing data and results including things such as: the rational for the design of the previous experiment, the way in which that data and results were interpreted and suggestions for new experiments. With this knowledge, the new researcher can maximize their productivity in designing new experiments, gathering new data, generating new results/knowledge and making suggestions for yet more experiments.