The scientist
chooses a specific area
to investigate further. He or she will narrow the topic to a specific
situation to be examined, and will state this as
a hypothesis to be tested.
For
example, our chemist might find in her review of the literature that a
plant-based fuel developed in the 1970s was abandoned because it did
not burn properly in the cars of that era. She might decide to
"replicate," or repeat, an experiment that was performed back then,
but this time using a computer-controlled engine like those found in
modern cars.
Her hypothesis might be, "If
the test fuel is used to power an automobile engine with computerized
fuel and ignition controls, the engine's combustion efficiency will be
higher than when powered with gasoline."
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Click on the next stage to the left to proceed.
Kuhlthau, C. C. (2004). Seeking meaning: a process approach to library and
information services (2nd ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Kuhlthau, C. C. (n.d.). Information Search Process:
A Search for Meaning Rather Than Answers. Retrieved July 15, 2005, from
the Rutgers University, Department of Library and Information Science Web site:
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kuhlthau/Search%20Process.htm
Woods, M. (2005). "Science." In The New Book of Knowledge: Scholastic Library
Publishing. Retrieved July 13, 2005 from the Grolier Online database.
