OBSERVING SOME PHENOMENON A. THE FIRST STEP IN CONDUCTING SCIENTIFI...

1. Observing some phenomenon a. The first step in conducting scientific research is observing some phenomenon—acting like a detective to know why or how something is the way it is. b. When trying to formulate a research question for your observation, it is important to operationally define how your variable (anything that can change) will be measured. c. The scientific method begins with a theory, which is a broad idea of set of closely related ideas that tries to explain certain observations. They tell us about the relationship between variables on a conceptual level. Theories try to explain why certain things occur and make predictions about future observations.