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The Art Of Scientific Investigation
The art of scientific investigation - Includes preparation, experimentation, chance, hypothesis, imagination, intuition and more.
196 pages, Paperback
First published April 12, 1960
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1066 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 26, 2012
I finished this book just this Monday, the same book I mentioned from last Wednesday’s post. First, I’ll start with an introduction and general outline of the book’s chapters, then noting its weak points where they exist, and finally, infer a conclusion of the overall quality of the book including my recommendations of its strong points.
This book is a reprint of the 1957 revised edition, which like the first, was written by William Ian Beardmore Beveridge, a professor of animal pathology at Cambridge Uni. It’s a handbook for budding and wannabe scientists (like me) describing the psychological and conceptual factors in scientific research and practice, revealing a complex and sometimes messy picture of the enterprise of actually doing science, contrary to the simplistic (and unrealistic) picture of scientific methods given in most textbooks. Each chapter handles a different general area of the art of the research worker, with each area’s purpose, pitfalls, and a tentative description of how it works.
Chapter I, Preparation: This section describes the requirement of a scientist to keep up with the literature relevant to a field of study, and in such a manner, reading critically and reflectively to retain freshness of mind and originality of outlook, not just to soak up information through rote memorization. It recommends starting one’s research with easier projects in mind that expert guidance can help in before tackling more difficult research goals. It describes collecting field or laboratory data, gathering and correlating it and breaking greater problems down into smaller, more manageable ones, making educated guesses, formulating as many hypotheses as can be done, and getting ready for chapter II…
Experimentation: This section involves guidelines for setting up and conducting experimental or observational tests of hypotheses, the randomization of subjects, eliminating possible confounding factors, the importance of note-taking, careful observation and objectivity, especially using the proper statistical tools to assess the result (but chosen prior to the data collection process.). This notes that experimentation is not infallible and the difficulty in definitively falsifying hypotheses. Much of the section is written in terms of biological research, though the basic ideas can transfer nicely to other fields with modifications.
Chapter III, Chance: Many of the greatest discoveries were found quite by accident, and the anecdotes related here show how fortuitous they were in the history of science – the wise research worker keeps an eye open for these opportunities and the unexpected wonders they reveal to his(or her) scrutiny when they happen. Advice is given for best exploiting the unforeseen and the rewards for doing so.
Chapter IV, Hypothesis: This provides guidelines and criteria for the use of hypothesis, the benefits stemming even from false hypotheses (they may lead to unexpected findings even if shown wrong) and the importance of not becoming too attached to those one formulates oneself. Also noted is the importance of avoiding allowing observations and conclusions from being biased by the hypothesis itself, the importance of objectivity and the pitfalls of ignoring it.
Chapter V, Imagination: Yes, Virginia, scientists do need an imagination, and the best have the most creative. Suggestions are given for productive and creative thinking, the downside of false trails, the importance of curiosity and discussion as stimuli to creative thinking, and the dangers of conditioned thinking and how to avoid them. Of all the chapters, this and the next are my favorites…
Chapter VI, Intuition: …Those weird, often misleading, but sometimes correct little ideas that just seem to pop into one’s head from nowhere. This is the realm of scientific inspiration, where in the best minds the birth-rate of ideas exceeds to mortality rate of the same. The psychology of intuition is described, much of it from well-established and still-valid studies used in the psychological literature even today. Of key interest are the conditions needed to bring about such intuition and conditions that hinder it, plus a description of scientific esthetics, used in assessing and evaluating ideas and their elegance and usefulness.
Chapter VII, Reason: This describes the uses, benefits, problems and pitfalls of reason and reasoning, and how they do and do not apply to science. Here’s hint – reason by itself can’t tell you what’s true or false, and is used primarily to analyze data and the consistency of hypotheses, and for that last, it’s crucial.
Chapter VIII, Observation: This section gives illustrations and examples of the use of observation in the history of science, also later giving general principles on it — the difficulty of accurately doing it in complex situations, the requirements for doing it effectively, and the practical impossibility of observing everything, even the most perceptive of us. It also notes the fact that observation is not passive, but involves and active mental element to, in our construals of what we observe. None of this, of course, having to do with quantum mysticism.
Chapter IX, Difficulties: This section describes impediments to the research worker, from mental resistance to new ideas to entrenched authorities, to religious and political ideology, to logical and cognitive fallacies, the major barriers to the conduct of science are described, and how they can interfere with the acceptance of research findings, including the occasional lack of tact on the part of some scientists — the example of Semmelweis is cited here.
Chapter X, Strategy: Here are described the tactical, strategic, and policy levels involved in group-research, the tactical level for the individual scientist, the strategic for the senior director of a research team, and the policy level management for defining the overall research effort for certain projects. The benefits, drawbacks, and dangers inherent in each are given here, including guidelines for maximizing their usefulness and minimizing the hazards for the benefit of the research program and the initiative and autonomy of the research worker.
Chapter XI, Scientists: Here is given the importance of ethics and scientific values, a general description of the types of scientific minds, their strengths and weaknesses, and the schemes given over the years to categorize them — difficult to say the least — and finally an overview of the life of the individual researcher with suggestions for taking up a career in the sciences.
There were a few difficulties I had with the book:
First, of course, considering the time it was published, 1957 (mine’s a reprint), the science is a bit dated, and much of what was a mystery then is no longer now, though a lot of the psychology research is still valid. Most of what has been surpassed is in the biological, medical, and neurological fields, with a scattering of others…
Second, the writing is a dated too, and the male pronoun is used almost exclusively throughout the text, and I hope that this will be no impediment for the better sex’s enjoying this book as much as I have. Consider the era.
Personally, this book has been a major influence on my thinking about science, what it is, how it’s done and what it’s for, and reading it has strengthened my love of science and appreciation for it all the more.
Science, is… science, but scientific investigation is… indeed an art, not a science.
This book is a reprint of the 1957 revised edition, which like the first, was written by William Ian Beardmore Beveridge, a professor of animal pathology at Cambridge Uni. It’s a handbook for budding and wannabe scientists (like me) describing the psychological and conceptual factors in scientific research and practice, revealing a complex and sometimes messy picture of the enterprise of actually doing science, contrary to the simplistic (and unrealistic) picture of scientific methods given in most textbooks. Each chapter handles a different general area of the art of the research worker, with each area’s purpose, pitfalls, and a tentative description of how it works.
Chapter I, Preparation: This section describes the requirement of a scientist to keep up with the literature relevant to a field of study, and in such a manner, reading critically and reflectively to retain freshness of mind and originality of outlook, not just to soak up information through rote memorization. It recommends starting one’s research with easier projects in mind that expert guidance can help in before tackling more difficult research goals. It describes collecting field or laboratory data, gathering and correlating it and breaking greater problems down into smaller, more manageable ones, making educated guesses, formulating as many hypotheses as can be done, and getting ready for chapter II…
Experimentation: This section involves guidelines for setting up and conducting experimental or observational tests of hypotheses, the randomization of subjects, eliminating possible confounding factors, the importance of note-taking, careful observation and objectivity, especially using the proper statistical tools to assess the result (but chosen prior to the data collection process.). This notes that experimentation is not infallible and the difficulty in definitively falsifying hypotheses. Much of the section is written in terms of biological research, though the basic ideas can transfer nicely to other fields with modifications.
Chapter III, Chance: Many of the greatest discoveries were found quite by accident, and the anecdotes related here show how fortuitous they were in the history of science – the wise research worker keeps an eye open for these opportunities and the unexpected wonders they reveal to his(or her) scrutiny when they happen. Advice is given for best exploiting the unforeseen and the rewards for doing so.
Chapter IV, Hypothesis: This provides guidelines and criteria for the use of hypothesis, the benefits stemming even from false hypotheses (they may lead to unexpected findings even if shown wrong) and the importance of not becoming too attached to those one formulates oneself. Also noted is the importance of avoiding allowing observations and conclusions from being biased by the hypothesis itself, the importance of objectivity and the pitfalls of ignoring it.
Chapter V, Imagination: Yes, Virginia, scientists do need an imagination, and the best have the most creative. Suggestions are given for productive and creative thinking, the downside of false trails, the importance of curiosity and discussion as stimuli to creative thinking, and the dangers of conditioned thinking and how to avoid them. Of all the chapters, this and the next are my favorites…
Chapter VI, Intuition: …Those weird, often misleading, but sometimes correct little ideas that just seem to pop into one’s head from nowhere. This is the realm of scientific inspiration, where in the best minds the birth-rate of ideas exceeds to mortality rate of the same. The psychology of intuition is described, much of it from well-established and still-valid studies used in the psychological literature even today. Of key interest are the conditions needed to bring about such intuition and conditions that hinder it, plus a description of scientific esthetics, used in assessing and evaluating ideas and their elegance and usefulness.
Chapter VII, Reason: This describes the uses, benefits, problems and pitfalls of reason and reasoning, and how they do and do not apply to science. Here’s hint – reason by itself can’t tell you what’s true or false, and is used primarily to analyze data and the consistency of hypotheses, and for that last, it’s crucial.
Chapter VIII, Observation: This section gives illustrations and examples of the use of observation in the history of science, also later giving general principles on it — the difficulty of accurately doing it in complex situations, the requirements for doing it effectively, and the practical impossibility of observing everything, even the most perceptive of us. It also notes the fact that observation is not passive, but involves and active mental element to, in our construals of what we observe. None of this, of course, having to do with quantum mysticism.
Chapter IX, Difficulties: This section describes impediments to the research worker, from mental resistance to new ideas to entrenched authorities, to religious and political ideology, to logical and cognitive fallacies, the major barriers to the conduct of science are described, and how they can interfere with the acceptance of research findings, including the occasional lack of tact on the part of some scientists — the example of Semmelweis is cited here.
Chapter X, Strategy: Here are described the tactical, strategic, and policy levels involved in group-research, the tactical level for the individual scientist, the strategic for the senior director of a research team, and the policy level management for defining the overall research effort for certain projects. The benefits, drawbacks, and dangers inherent in each are given here, including guidelines for maximizing their usefulness and minimizing the hazards for the benefit of the research program and the initiative and autonomy of the research worker.
Chapter XI, Scientists: Here is given the importance of ethics and scientific values, a general description of the types of scientific minds, their strengths and weaknesses, and the schemes given over the years to categorize them — difficult to say the least — and finally an overview of the life of the individual researcher with suggestions for taking up a career in the sciences.
There were a few difficulties I had with the book:
First, of course, considering the time it was published, 1957 (mine’s a reprint), the science is a bit dated, and much of what was a mystery then is no longer now, though a lot of the psychology research is still valid. Most of what has been surpassed is in the biological, medical, and neurological fields, with a scattering of others…
Second, the writing is a dated too, and the male pronoun is used almost exclusively throughout the text, and I hope that this will be no impediment for the better sex’s enjoying this book as much as I have. Consider the era.
Personally, this book has been a major influence on my thinking about science, what it is, how it’s done and what it’s for, and reading it has strengthened my love of science and appreciation for it all the more.
Science, is… science, but scientific investigation is… indeed an art, not a science.
October 15, 2022
5 stars because I can't rate it 6.
Read it. It's one of those books that someone told me that I should read, and a year or so after that first suggestion I decided to finally give it a shot.
This is a MUST for anyone who wishes to undertake a career in Research/Academia. The book's english is not too easy (first edition published in 1950), but it shouldn't worry too much a passionate reader. Read it!
Read it. It's one of those books that someone told me that I should read, and a year or so after that first suggestion I decided to finally give it a shot.
This is a MUST for anyone who wishes to undertake a career in Research/Academia. The book's english is not too easy (first edition published in 1950), but it shouldn't worry too much a passionate reader. Read it!
September 20, 2015
This is a good analysis about different issues which are present in some problem which requires some creative aptitude to resolve it. Very recommended to anybody who has curiosity to explain what happen around him or her. It contains a lot of recommendations and stories (mainly about big science personalities) which exemplifies all issues treated.
May 13, 2022
intelligent, concise, and immensely interesting.
June 28, 2025
Beveridge gives great insight into the scientific methods, and stories of discovery. Gives hope to young scientists, and anyone looking to expand their way of thinking.
March 2, 2015
Highly recommended for anybody in research. Timeless commentary on the metaskills that govern research productivity.
October 23, 2014
So much of this is still incredibly spot-on today.
May 29, 2019
Great introduction to the scientific way of life.
December 27, 2020
3.5
科研的驱动力永远是好奇心，所以不要扼制，有能力的话多引导：科研的路径训练：阅读文献、作出假设、设计实验，进一步假设、循序渐进。但其中的指导思想，应当是透彻地了解事物地奥秘、持之以恒地搜寻支配它们的法则，才不会沦为事实资料的保管员。
科研的驱动力永远是好奇心，所以不要扼制，有能力的话多引导：科研的路径训练：阅读文献、作出假设、设计实验，进一步假设、循序渐进。但其中的指导思想，应当是透彻地了解事物地奥秘、持之以恒地搜寻支配它们的法则，才不会沦为事实资料的保管员。
Read
May 6, 2024Preparation
Francis Bacon: "The lame in the path outstrip the swift who wander from it."
research workers have to stay relevant by reading current periodicals
conversely, scientists gain from detatchment to fixed beliefs and dogmas in the field
read to weigh and consider (not believe or refute); discovery is thinking above reading
choose the problem, identify past research, think practically long before designing tests
reduce the problem to its simplest elements and find the answer by most direct means
Imagination
an idea is first the awareness of a problem, then an offered solution, finally a rejection or acceptance of the solution; the idea-conjuring is not voluntary; it happens "to, not from"
we have common associations, but also seemingly random intuitions (great leaps and new, original connections); we cannot deliberately create ideas; we can only prepare
developing ideas is a balance between free/deliberate thinking and structure/play
finding errors is most important, Goethe: "men will always be making mistakes as long as they are striving after something"
students of research are abnormally curious and interested in unexplained phenomena
Intuition
we don't really, fully understand the process of "flashes of insight," but we have ideas about them; people gain intuitions/inspirations from periods of rest away from a problem, in the span of time after waking, going for long walks, sitting to ponder, etc.
Francis Bacon: "The lame in the path outstrip the swift who wander from it."
research workers have to stay relevant by reading current periodicals
conversely, scientists gain from detatchment to fixed beliefs and dogmas in the field
read to weigh and consider (not believe or refute); discovery is thinking above reading
choose the problem, identify past research, think practically long before designing tests
reduce the problem to its simplest elements and find the answer by most direct means
Imagination
an idea is first the awareness of a problem, then an offered solution, finally a rejection or acceptance of the solution; the idea-conjuring is not voluntary; it happens "to, not from"
we have common associations, but also seemingly random intuitions (great leaps and new, original connections); we cannot deliberately create ideas; we can only prepare
developing ideas is a balance between free/deliberate thinking and structure/play
finding errors is most important, Goethe: "men will always be making mistakes as long as they are striving after something"
students of research are abnormally curious and interested in unexplained phenomena
Intuition
we don't really, fully understand the process of "flashes of insight," but we have ideas about them; people gain intuitions/inspirations from periods of rest away from a problem, in the span of time after waking, going for long walks, sitting to ponder, etc.
January 16, 2025
科学研究的艺术
翻译很好
翻译很好
July 2, 2025
A good read, for both the casual reader and someone with a serious interest in the sciences themselves. It's short, easy to read, and interesting.
October 7, 2016
3. 5 stars. Beveridge's book describes the contribution of and interaction between the following factors in scientific research: hypothesis, reason, experimentation, observation, chance, and intuition. The language is crystal clear, and the anecdotes are relevant and are told with the appropriate amount of detail. The chapters, however, are not always cohesive. In addition, as one who has already been trained in scientific research, I wonder how much a novice researcher can really gain from this book.
November 1, 2023
One of my favorites this year.
It is old, so it sins in common ways, for example, no mentions of women contributions to science which is a notable mistake and sign of its time. But a good book nevertheless.
It is old, so it sins in common ways, for example, no mentions of women contributions to science which is a notable mistake and sign of its time. But a good book nevertheless.
Want to read
March 10, 2009nach: James Webb Young: A Technique for Producing Ideas.
Want to read
July 13, 2014rec by sci-fri
June 15, 2015
Good
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews