The Scientific Method

About the lecture

In this module, we start by introducing the scientific method, using climate change as an example, discussing hypothesis formation, data collection, experimentation, statistical analysis, and contextualizing results. We focus on: (i) the statistical pyramid of success, emphasizing the importance of presenting data, conducting descriptive statistics, running statistical tests, and contextualizing findings; (ii) four types of statistical questions: difference, association, relationship, and patterns; (iii) the importance of understanding datasets, methods, statistics, and their real-world implications.

About the lecturer

Dr Tom Pering is Senior Lecturer in Volcanology at the University of Sheffield. His research focuses on volcano monitoring, particularly the measurement of sulfur dioxide emissions, and degassing modes in basaltic eruptions.