Among the main principles of scientific knowledge there are such as truth and applicability in practice. It is for this purpose that all modern scientific discoveries are made, with the help of which mankind is trying to make its existence as easy as possible. However, in order to make a scientific discovery, one must skillfully use various methods of scientific research.
Scientific knowledge involves the use of empirical and theoretical levels of research. The first is related to the practical side of the issue, since it operates on data obtained from observations and experiments; the second allows you to make any conclusions based on existing laws and hypotheses. These levels are closely related and the border between them is quite unsteady. However, for each of them there are various methods of scientific research, that is, methods that are applicable for obtaining scientific knowledge. Among them are deduction and induction, the formation of hypotheses, analogies and more.
The main methods of scientific research are divided into several groups:
1) General philosophical methods having the widest scope.
2) General scientific methods, based on the name, are suitable for any science, but can only be applied at certain levels of obtaining scientific knowledge.
3) Special methods of scientific research. In economics, sociology, chemistry and other sciences, there are special methods of research that allow more competent use of practical capabilities and the data obtained.
4) Particular techniques are applicable in special cases when the question arises of solving a specific problem.
According to another classification, the basic methods of scientific research at a theoretical level of knowledge are divided into three categories:
1) Axiomatic method
The theory describing a particular phenomenon is based on a number of rules and axioms from which conclusions are drawn. The accuracy of the obtained theorems is based on the indisputability of axioms. Obviously, the axiomatic method is most suitable for research in the field of mathematics and logic. The axiom itself excludes the manifestation of the slightest contradiction, however, the theoretical justification should be verified in practice and only in this case we can accurately speak of the absence of contradictions.
2) Hypothetical-deductive method
Areas of obtaining scientific knowledge that operate on experimental and theoretical material can also use various methods of scientific research, but the hypothetical-deductive method is preferable . In this case, the axioms are replaced by hypotheses, the correctness of which is checked by the correspondence of theoretical and practical results. Obviously, this method is most actively used in the natural sciences. Various methods of scientific research in economics also put in the first place the hypothetical-deductive method. It is in these areas that it is very important to be able not only to think, but also to apply existing knowledge in practice.
3) Descriptive methods
Often dispense with previous methods of scientific research is not suitable for explaining the results. In such cases, they move to the category of descriptive methods. They suggest the use of various schemes, figures, and words to describe experimental data that were not previously known to science and cannot be explained on the basis of existing axioms and hypotheses. Here, the experiment itself and the data obtained with its help play a large role. It is descriptive methods that are most often used in biology, medical sciences and sociology. The impossibility of applying the previous method is based on limitations: its rigid framework does not allow in any way to explain the experimental results.
For any level of scientific knowledge, it is important to choose the research method correctly, since it will be the key to obtaining true knowledge.