Intro to the Scientific Method

The Nature and Purpose of Science

• Science offers a systematic way of understanding the natural world
• Science starts with a question to be answered using evidence and logic
• Science includes practical experiments and theoretical interpretation

Scientific Thinking

• Gaining knowledge involves:
  • Observing
  • Asking questions
  • Forming hypotheses (educated guesses)
  • Testing hypotheses through investigation
  • Drawing conclusions based on results

Scientific Method

• This is a step-by-step process, including the adjustments to the hypothesis if needed
• The steps are:
  • Observation
  • Hypothesis
  • Experiment
  • Data collection
  • Conclusion
  • Adjustments to the hypothesis if needed

Hypothesis

• It is a prediction or educated guess made before an experiment
• A hypothesis can be proven right or wrong through testing

Major Scientific Discoveries

• DNA Structure explains how traits are passed down
• Vaccines prevent diseases
• Human Genome Project can help with understanding diseases like cancer
• DNA Polymerase is an enzyme for copying DNA
• The electric motor was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1821
• Plastic (Bakelite) was the first synthetic plastic, discovered accidentally

Development of Scientific Ideas

• Ancient civilizations involved early thinkers asking scientific questions
• Limited developments in science occurred during The Middle Ages
• The Renaissance saw a revival of science and questioning
• Science was focused on reason and science during the Enlightenment
• Massive advances in technology and medicine occurred in the 19th & 20th Century

Relationship Between Science, Mathematics & Technology

• These 3 fields support each other
• They help develop knowledge and solve real-world problems

Importance of Science

• It helps understand nature and improve life
• It teaches critical thinking: to question, test, and analyze
• It promotes scientific literacy: understanding how science works

Citizen Science

• Regular people can help in real scientific research
• It improves data collection and community involvement

Conservation Biology

• Some scientists protect biodiversity for its intrinsic value (self-importance)
• Other scientists focus on how biodiversity supports human well-being and sustainability

The Scientific World View

The World is Understandable

• Scientists believe the universe follows patterns
  • These observable patterns can be discovered through observation and study
• Natural laws apply everywhere, on Earth and in space
• Tools and instruments allow scientists to understand things beyond our senses

Scientific Ideas are Subject to Change

• Science is not fixed; it evolves with new evidence
• Theories are continuously tested and updated or replaced if incomplete
• Science aims to get closer to the truth over time without claiming absolute truth

Scientific Knowledge is Durable

• Most scientific ideas are long-lasting due to their strength and reliability
  • They can be refined
• Einstein's theory of relativity added to Newton's laws
  • These laws were not replaced
• Accurate prediction of results validates the knowledge

Science Cannot Answer Every Question

• Science is limited to things that can be measured, tested, and observed (empirical evidence)
• It cannot answer questions about the supernatural, morality, or personal beliefs
• Scientists can offer advice based on facts
  • They cannot settle debates about religion, ethics, or values

Moral Responsibilities in Science - Research Ethics

• Research ethics are moral principles that guide scientists
  • What they do must be right, honest, and respectful
• Research ethics help build trust in science
  • Protecting research participants

History of Research Ethics

• The World Medical Association created The Declaration of Helsinki (1964)
• The declaration set ethical rules for research involving human participants
  • After unethical experiments during World War II
• It guides researchers, ethics boards, and governments today

Why Ethics Matter in Biological Sciences

Good Practice in Research

• Participants are treated with respect
• Informed consent, privacy, and confidentiality are protected

Truth & Accuracy

• Ethical research involves no lying, faking, or misusing data
• It helps reduce errors and maintains scientific integrity

Respect for Life & Well-being

• Bioethics focuses on protecting human life and health
• It sometimes includes concerns for the environment

Humane Animal Treatment

• Lab animals must be treated ethically
• Poor care can lead to unreliable results and moral issues

Handling Complex Issues

• Bioethics addresses difficult topics such as:
  • Cloning
  • Gene therapy
  • Stem cell research

Understanding Ethics Beyond Rules

• Ethics are moral principles that help to decide what is right or wrong
  • Not just rules or laws
• Ethics are shaped by:
  • life experience
  • culture
  • religion
  • values
  • Ethics change over time

Ethics vs. Laws

• Ethics are broader than laws
• Science encompasses many fields
  • Medicine vs. environment
  • Each has different ethical concerns
• Laws might allow something, but it does not mean that it is ethically right

Importance of Ethics in Science

Public Trust

• Science is publicly funded
  • Research must be honest and reliable to keep trust

Protecting People & Animals

• Ethics ensure:
  • safety
  • dignity
  • Humane care
• Are ensured in experiments

Preventing Misconduct

• Prevents cheating by stopping
  • plagiarism
  • lying
  • faking data

Responsible Innovation

• Ethics guide how new technologies are used
  • Gene editing or AI
• Making sure they are safe and fair

How Ethics Evolve

• Ethics change with new knowledge
• In the past, animals were seen as property
  • Now recognized they feel pain
  • Focus is placed animal rights and welfare
• Different eras have shaped ethics:
  • Focused on duty, order, and justice (but only for some groups) during ancient times
  • Introduced individual rights and freedom during the Enlightenment (1600s–1700s
  • Includes global and environmental issues as well as technology impacts in modern ethics

Key Ethical Principles

• Autonomy: People can made their own decisions
• Beneficence: Do good and promote well-being
• Non-maleficence: Do no harm
• Justice: Be fair in sharing benefits and resources
• Respect for persons: Treat everyone with dignity and value

Respect for Research Subjects

Informed consent

• Researchers must get permission before study participation
• Informed consent includes:
  • Understand research
  • Know risks and benefits
  • The ability to choose to join or not

Information in an Informed Consent Form

• An information sheet which:
  • Details the study
  • Details what will happen
  • How long the study will take
  • Risks, benefits, and contact information
  • Privacy and compensation information
• A certificate of consent:
  • A signed agreement from the party
  • States facts about confidentiality
  • Reinforces their right to withdraw at any time

Transparency

• Researchers must be honest about:
  • Study purpose
  • Methods to be used
  • How Results will be used
• This actions helps to build and maintain trust w/ participants

Privacy & Respect

• Participants’ personal information is protected
• Researchers to respect:
  • Must keep data confidential
  • Rights of participants

Data Integrity

• This is to defining and reporting data accurately and truthfully
• Inacurate data can cause wrong conclusions

Avoiding Bias in Research

• Bias happens when personal preferences affect data collection of interoperation

Types of Bias:

• Confirmation bias chooses date that supports already believed ideas
• Selection bias data collection methods factors and certain outcomes

Avoiding Bias:

• Use double or single blind studies, where data is not known or details have not been disclosed

Ensuring Objectivity in Research

What is Objectivity

• Studying objective data without personal feelings

How to Maintain Objectivity

• Have scientists review the research

Truthfulness in Reporting Findings

• Results will be accurate

Importance of Limitations Acknowledgement

• It builds trust for future research and will know the context of results

Avoiding Data Manipulation

• It is when data is altered for a desired result

How to Avoid Data Manipulation's Harm

• Manipulation it undermines science
• Can cause:
• False data Damage of trust, can

Honesty in Scientific Communication

• Is when communication is truthful and results being shown are honest/ clear
• Peer review checks

Key Takeaway for Honesty

• It is when objectivity, honesty, and integrity are always present because they build trustworthiness to science

Consequences of Unethical Practices in Science

Ethics: Importance of Practice's

• With code of ethics are essential for in scientific results for benefits in the public
• Can undermine trust to the party members impacted,but always public trust

Misconduct: Examples

Tuskegee Syphilis study (1932-1972)

• What Happened
• African- American ,were in a study but were left untreated though new treatments had a higher impact
• It is Unethical because it goes against participant welfare without informing and without permisssion

WooSuk Scandal for Scelnce (2000s)

• What Happened-
• A Korea scientist claimed advancements in stem cell studies but the results were false It was Unithical - It misslead all communities and were dishonest

Impact on Public Trust

• It erodes trust in the confidence
• Long Term affects:
  • Reduced Support- Can reduce future efforts from the science field Reduced Collaboration-Can minimize the relationship between society and science world
• Progress to medical may be Hinder- Will cause delays to public care

Takeaways from Research:

• If unthical practices are conducted , damages the scientific communities and causes scandal Ethics values are vital for mainiting research to be able to progress society

Ethical Science in Decison making

• Happens when competing interests appear that require decisions to be made
• Many researchers can be faced with conflicts in terms of value, that must balance societal impacts with ethics and benefit for advancements

Dilemas

• In decison stages

1. Find Dillema - when ethical value occur
2. Get Information, to show facts the contexts of the problem
3. Find people that will get impacts , direct or not
4. Evaluate option based on course of action
5. Choose action, based on ethic values 6 . Remember The decisions

Key Takeaways

Following steps are critical for success by understanding each scientific ethical responsibility for a moral standard that may occur .

Academic and Plagarism in Research

Plagarism is a act that causes a serious integrity issue that impacts reputation both personally in a professional way

• undermining trust and may hinder development

Types of Plagiarism's

Direct: Copying sources without quotation marks

Mosaic -Incorperating ideas without credit

. Accidental_ When failure to site or rewrite sources

Importance's of Academic's

• Helps maintains that fairness is shown in an appropriate way
• Also helps recognize every bodies contributions
• Is is is a way to maintain how credibility or work comes about in a uphold process

With violating process of learning causes a impact to process a author from their original.

To not do

Prevent and find tools that can make to identify the correct work

• Use rewrites to source material
• Keep track on different sources.

Ciation

Proper method to show your work by including APA,MI , Chicago and each style are ways to show documentation .Helps to: Shows credibility ,gives original source credit.

Mini Chart sheet:

• Can be in -text (author ,year )
• Refer list Format book. Authors Year. Titles and Publishers Websites: Authors/ Year; Page Web Title where the link accessed was pulled.
• *Quick TIo follow documentation through document by cross reference.

Consequences:

Plagarism creates can has a larger impact more then ever, and affects peoples academic standpoints

Academic Consequencs:

Loss of Credits- Cant take or receive credits from a specific task Expulsion - Being expelled in severe cases Probation - Jepadory effect on ones stand point within school

Professional Impact

Loss in reputation Retraction of publishments Losses prof memship

Consequences : Legal

• Infringment Damage to authors,

To the Community?

• Causes trust issues for academic/scientists

With Integrity -

• helps to achieve honest success to maintain the values .