Data collection in any experiment is crucial to the accuracy and precision of a scientific project. More importantly, when the data in experiments is collected properly, the information collected provides the science project scientist with validity and credibility. These are valuable skills for any scientist to be successful in any field. When science students collect data for a science project, they need to consider these basic steps: precision, accuracy, validity, and reliability.
Precision data is repeatability
In many cases, science students working on their school science projects need to repeat their experiments. This is to provide a justification for the above experiments. But it also explains that the data collected is accurate. The more precise the data collection, the more accurate the result will be. Science students may need to repeat an experiment to verify a failed or incomplete result. Other times, experiments don’t meet standards. In other cases, the experiments remain incomplete due to lack of materials or time. Therefore, the more replicates there are in an experiment, the better the results.
Accurate data is correct information
The accuracy of the data collected by science students means how close that result is to the true value. In statistical terms, a true value is data that is very close to the correct record. In this way, the more precise a measurement is on a particular instrument, the more accurate that value will be for the experiment. Therefore, many instruments must be calibrated to standards to provide accurate results. When an instrument is not calibrated, the measurements from that instrument are invalid. Calibration is the act of standardizing an instrument based on its specific graduations. For example, a scale in a grocery store is calibrated with weights to give the most accurate weight in pounds. Therefore, the calibration of an instrument is a vital part of the accuracy and precision of a result.
Valid data is true scientific content
When science students provide factual data, they also provide legitimacy for their science projects. In fact, without validity in scientific projects, they seem unreliable. For other scientists, when validity is compromised in some experiments or scientific projects, it sends a negative signal that their project was not taken seriously. In science, experiments may not provide the results that they can predict. But a negative data in a scientific experiment can also mean a good result. You can prove or disprove the hypothesis. It can provide additional information to other scientific experiments. You can set the opportunity to further analyze the data. Therefore, a valid scientific experiment not only provides valid results, but also provides an honest science student.
Reliable data is reliable evidence
If science students approach their science projects with validity, their data becomes more reliable. When experiments are carried out with the conviction of obtaining the best and most accurate data, they can be confident in their scientific projects. Reliable results establish the foundation for a legitimate reputation for science students. But it also establishes that the information collected by science students is reliable, valid, accurate, and precise. In fact, science students who do not skip any steps in their science experiments to get results understand that science is a learning process.