Birth of scientific methodology
At the birth of the definition of “science” and the rules to distinguish what could be called scientific and what could not receive such a name, the term “theory of science” emerged , an expression coined by the philosopher Fichte (1762 – 1814).
Why?
This “ science of science ”, mother of all of them, would be the result of the study of methods in a systematic way and, for any theory to be considered scientific, it must necessarily be built on this “theory of science ”. All scientific knowledge that Man has has a fundamental principle that needs to be proven before a scientific theory grows on it. Hence the need for a science, a methodology behind all scientific research.
What is scientific methodology?
And thus the scientific methodology originates. The meaning of scientific methodology that is most important to us is the set of procedures that a science uses to prove its hypotheses. Each field of knowledge needs to elaborate this set of norms to follow in each procedure that is part of its research, with equal techniques for all experiments. This is what guarantees that we can trust scientific research.
What is the methodology for?
The methodology exists to standardize any and all scientific research; if even a single norm is disrespected, that knowledge produced is broken and loses all its validity.
The college methodology
All higher education courses have a discipline that guides us to the elaboration of a scientific work within the chosen area. This study is fundamental because it serves as the foundation for the Course Completion Work (TCC), which no one escapes.
Scientific Methodology and the TCC
The relationship between the methodology and the TCC is much closer than you might think. Any hypothesis to be proven by your scientific research needs to be tested and approved by the rules that guide the study of your area of knowledge.
But how???
Theory is always beautiful, but what about in practice? How does this methodology of scientific work appear in the TCC?
To begin with, a chapter of your TCC should be devoted to a detailed explanation of all the procedures you will use to (try) to prove your hypothesis. What you’re creating is a real scientific investigation, right? Then, the best way to choose your procedures and know how to explain them properly is to consult the methodology books you studied for your area.
Throughout the other chapters, each time you come to a conclusion, refer back to the methodology you used to get there. It’s not enough to throw a bunch of scientific theories with their respective bibliographical references; you’re going to need to come to some, or some conclusions. When in doubt, after studying both the scientific knowledge in your area and the specific methodology applied in it, just ask yourself: “How did I come to this conclusion?”. The answer will be inside you, you can be sure.
What are the ABNT standards?
The ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards) standards are the guarantee that all of your work can be considered scientific, that is, correct within what was agreed back there, when your scientific field was born. In addition to the set of norms that you already respected when you studied and were able to draw conclusions from the existing knowledge (the methodology), there are still the ABNT norms, which guarantee the uniformity of any scientific research.
Scientific methodology and ABNT standards need to go hand in hand.
Did you understand?
How about a summary of what scientific methodology is and its practical uses for Course Completion Works (TCC)?
-in college, you will study the specific scientific methodology of your area;
-then, you will raise a hypothesis (the soul of your cbt);
-there, you will research several authors who have done scientific research on everything that relates to your hypothesis;
-using this methodology, you will do your own scientific research, seeking to link the ideas of the authors you studied to prove your hypothesis.
But it did not work…
Not all scientific hypotheses are true (kinda obvious, no?). If your scientific research has not gone through the methodology scrutiny (it could not be proven from pre-existing knowledge), don’t worry. The last chapter of your TCC will bring this conclusion and explain why your hypothesis proved to be wrong.
Scientific research does not walk only through successes; mistakes are also very useful: they lead us to look for new hypotheses (and from this new hypothesis your master’s theme may even come out, who knows?)
