Five-point Likert scale questions
- Strongly Disagree
- Disagree
- Uncertain
- Agree
- Strongly Agree
Questions for Which “Strongly Agree” Is a Good Answer
- Scientific knowledge can never be completely certain.
This statement is accurate. Although scientists strive to produce reliable knowledge, they must remain open to reinterpreting their results based on new data, perhaps produced by even more sophisticated and precise technologies. - Scientific knowledge builds on earlier knowledge.
Very few scientific ideas come out of nowhere. As Sir Isaac Newton explained it, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” - Some questions cannot be answered by science.
Science cannot answer questions that cannot be tested using reproducible scientific methods. For example, science has no way of addressing whether supernatural beings intervene in human affairs. - Scientists should feel free to change their previous conclusions as new findings arise.
Science produces reliable knowledge only when conclusions are reconsidered based on new findings. - Science is primarily concerned with understanding how our material world works.
Most science investigates natural phenomena that are reproducible; it cannot study the supernatural! - Experiments are not the only way to conduct scientific investigations.
A great deal of science is conducted through observations and analyses of past events. Some of these can be treated as “natural experiments”; for example, comparing lung cancer rates between smokers and non-smokers revealed that smoking causes cancer. - Good scientists are completely honest when reporting their research.
If science is to produce reliable knowledge, scientists should be completely honest when reporting their findings. - Scientists should seriously consider new ideas, even when they come from someone who is not a scientist.
If someone who is not a trained scientist has conducted a valid experiment, or has a good novel idea, then yes, scientists should examine those findings. However, they are not required to give weight to random ideas or opinions. - Reliable scientific claims can be uncertain.
It is very difficult for scientists to state anything with 100% certainty. They often provide statistical analyses to indicate the degree of certainty they feel about their conclusions. - Scientific knowledge is subject to review by other scientists.
Indeed, peer review is a cornerstone of the practice of science. - Creativity is important for the growth of scientific knowledge.
Although science can seem very calculating and precise, designing experiments and coming up with new ways to think about hard problems is a highly creative endeavor. - Good scientists must be open-minded and skeptical when conducting their research.
Good scientists are trained to be open minded and skeptical—even when it comes to their own findings! - Over the course of the past century, science has made life easier and improved human health.
In the 1920s, human life expectancy was less than 55 years! Advances in medicine like the discovery of antibiotics and the development of vaccines have clearly improved our lives. - Scientific research that requires financial support can be influenced by companies or other funders.
Safeguards must be taken to reduce the likelihood that scientific studies are swayed by funding sources. For this reason, journals typically require that scientists state any “conflicts of interest” when submitting their work for publication. - Scientific claims must be based on evidence.
Scientific claims cannot be assessed without evidence, such as observations or data. - All scientific claims should be peer reviewed.
Peer review is a cornerstone of the scientific process. - Scientific research makes important contributions to medicine and the improvement of public health.
Human life expectancy was only 30 years in 1800, and nearly half of all children died before the age of 10.
Questions for Which “Strongly Disagree” Is a Good Answer
- Scientists should ignore new evidence that contradicts their own work.
Scientists cannot cherry pick which evidence they choose to accept. Their conclusions must explain all valid evidence. - Experiments only rarely need to be repeated.
The ability to reproduce results is a cornerstone of the scientific process and one of the first steps toward producing reliable knowledge. - Scientists who have different hypotheses will obtain different data from the same experiment.
A scientific hypothesis will not change the data produced by an experiment. As scientists sometimes say, “the data are the data.” However, the same data may be interpreted or used in different ways depending on the hypothesis. - Scientific knowledge is useful for only a few people.
Scientific knowledge plays an important part in all our lives, from our health and well-being to the technologies we rely on every day. It will only continue to gain importance in the years to come. - Most scientists intentionally keep their work secret.
Scientific knowledge plays an important part in all our lives, from our health and well-being to the technologies we rely on every day. It will only continue to gain importance in the years to come. - A scientist usually works alone.
Now more than ever, science is a team sport and can sometimes require the cooperation of dozens or hundreds of collaborators around the world.