Scientific Inquiry

What is scientific inquiry?

Scientific inquiry is the process of gathering information about events or objects in the world, and then answering questions that are best answered with scientific knowledge.

The process can be divided into four basic steps: formulating the question, conducting research to identify facts relevant to the query and assessing other pertinent information in order to design or develop data-driven solutions that meet contemporary needs or challenges.

Developing a hypothesis for why something happens helps your understanding of it and how to approach whatever you’re trying to figure out. Scientific inquiry also includes identifying patterns of behavior and events that happen over time so they can inform predictions about future occurrences (i.e., prediction).

Scientific inquiry can be as simple as exploring phenomena in your own backyard or at school, to being an influential researcher who makes contributions to humanity and scientific advancement.