Science is true knowledge, supported by theoretical and practical research, which is more often characterized as a theoretical and empirical level of knowledge. There are various methods for obtaining scientific knowledge, but nevertheless there are several most important categories:
1) General or philosophical methods that apply to the broadest group.
2) General scientific research methods, the use of which is possible in any field of scientific research. This category echoes the previous one, but has the main difference - general scientific methods are applied at certain stages of obtaining scientific knowledge. General scientific research methods include analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, and others.
3) Special methods applicable in a particular scientific field or individual science. Typical examples are experiments in chemistry and physics, biological methods of research, and so on.
4) Particular methods used to solve one specific problem.
General scientific research methods at the empirical level distinguish experiment and observation.
Observation refers to methods for the purposeful perception of the actions of natural elements, humans, as well as other phenomena and processes in which any intervention from the outside is excluded. Before observation, certain requirements are set:
- systematic
objectivity,
- the strict focus of the plan, that is, its uniqueness,
- the correctness of the observed processes and phenomena should be confirmed by other research methods.
According to the requirements presented, observation is ideal when it is impossible or not necessary to influence the course of the process. It is for such purposes that many devices have been created that not only enhance the capabilities of the sensory organs, but also rid the process of subjectivity in the assessment.
General scientific research methods require not only a description of the observed processes, but also measurements. Observation, accompanied by the use of instruments, the result of which most often are tables, graphs, oscillograms, and so on, requires, among other things, their interpretation. This applies to both experiment and observation.
The general scientific research methods also include various experiments, that is, experiments conducted under given and controlled conditions. They are based on an assumption or hypothesis that allow us to pose a problem and explain the results. The advantage of the experiment lies in the possibility of influencing the course of the process, which allows changing conditions, studying the phenomenon in “pure form”, and also reproducing the same result under the same conditions.
General scientific research methods imply not only the receipt of data, but also their interpretation, for which it is necessary to systematize the available data. For systematization, analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction are most often used.
Using any methods require various functions of scientific research. These include description, explanation and forecasting. From this it is clear that practical data cannot be dispensed with, therefore theoretical and empirical methods always work together. All data obtained as a result of an experiment or observation is collected and systematized in order to predict the possibility of a process flowing under certain conditions. Based on these data, it becomes possible to implement such a function of scientific research as forecasting. A standard example of this is the weather forecast, which is compiled on the basis of data received from satellites, which are processed on the basis of specially designed computer programs. The programs were created on the basis of the many years of work of scientists who systematized information and identified the main trends that allow us to draw conclusions about temperature changes.