What is Science? Definition, Explanation and Examples

In this chapter, we explain the meaning of science, the connection to research, and the purpose of scientific work.

Science is a central cornerstone in human history and everyone can relate to the term to some extent. It enables innovations such as the automobile and the computer, and even more importantly: the cure for various diseases. Since the term "science" has many facets and different interpretations, it is not easy to find the one definition.

When considering the term "science", it is fundamentally about the entire spectrum of human knowledge and experience. The primary goal of science is to preserve existing knowledge and systematically obtain new insights through research. The results of the investigations are then documented and published in scientific papers.

What disciplines exist in science?

In science, there are many different fields. If you want to distinguish these into different disciplines, there are different approaches. The most widespread way is to divide the individual branches into the following three areas:

• Natural sciences (e.g. physics and biology)
• Humanities (e.g. history and religious studies) 
• Social sciences (e.g. psychology and economics) 

Natural and social sciences belong to the empirical sciences. Of course, it is also clear that there are fields of study that cannot easily be assigned to one of these areas. An example of this is business informatics.

 

Scientific papers as a central element of science and research

You have already learned that research is an essential element of science. When results from scientific research are now summarized and published, this is done in so-called scientific papers. It is especially important here that the results are objective and comprehensible to external readers. This means all statements and conclusions must be substantiated and it must be clear which contents come from other sources and which come from the author themselves. A detailed explanation of the structure of scientific papers can be found in the chapter... X

 

Theories, hypotheses and research questions?

When writing a scientific paper, you quickly encounter terms such as theories, hypotheses and research questions. In the following chapter we will go into detail on the peculiarities and handling of these concepts.

 

Next chapter: Chapter 2 - Scientific Working

• How does the creation of a scientific paper work?
• What must you pay attention to in scientific work?