BSC 1010 Biological Principles - Introduction to the Scientific Method

This flashcard set covers the fundamental definitions of biology and science, the detailed steps and variables of the scientific method, and the process of scientific communication and peer review as outlined in the BSC 1010 lecture notes.

Science

A body of knowledge that covers general truths of operations of general laws and is tested by a systematic method known as the scientific method.

Biology

The study of living organisms, including their interactions with one another and their environments, characterized as an interdisciplinary field.

Scientific Method

A step-wise process used to answer questions about the natural world involving observations, hypotheses, predictions, and experiments.

Hypothesis

A possible answer to a question that must be testable and falsifiable; it is never proven to be $100\%$ true.

Experimental Group

The group in a controlled experiment that experiences the treatment or experimental intervention.

Control Group

The group that does not receive the treatment or intervention; it serves as a basis for comparison and is treated exactly like the experimental group except for the treatment.

Independent Variable

The factor that a researcher deliberately chooses to manipulate or change in an experiment; the treatment being tested.

Dependent Variable

The factor that is measured in an experiment, representing the data or results.

Controlled Variables

Factors that are kept constant between the experimental and control groups to ensure they do not affect the outcome of the experiment.

Sample size

The number of individuals tested or the number of times an experiment has been repeated to make data more representative of an average individual.

Statistics

A mathematical process used to analyze results that takes into account sample size, differences between group averages, and variability of individuals.

Manuscript

A document written by scientists detailing their experiment, which undergoes peer-review before publication.

Peer-review

A process where experts in a particular field evaluate a manuscript's experimental design and data interpretation to weed out sloppy research before it is published.

Abstract

A section of a manuscript providing a brief summary of the experiment.

Introduction

A section of a manuscript that contains background information pertinent to the study.

Materials and Methods

A section of a manuscript providing a detailed explanation of the experimental set up and information for someone else to repeat the experiment.

Results

A section of a manuscript where data is represented by graphs and statistical analysis.

Discussion

A section of a manuscript detailing the conclusion of results and their relation to the hypothesis.

Secondary Sources

Sources of information, such as TV news reports, that often cover sensational claims and can be unreliable compared to primary sources.

Impact Factor

A metric used to evaluate the quality or influence of a primary source of scientific information.