Formal science writing says conduct research and test a hypothesis. Extensive means wide-ranging and thorough: extensive research is a large body of work.
The verbs that go with research
Not "The scientists did extensive research." — say "The scientists conducted extensive research.". In formal science writing you conduct research; "do research" reads as casual on the page.
Try it: Amina: How do I say in a formal report that the lab ran a study? Lani: Write that the lab ___ research to test its hypothesis. Choose the words for the blank. (conducted / did / made) Answer: conducted — Conduct research and test a hypothesis are the fixed academic pairings.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
conduct research
/kənˈdʌkt rɪˈsɜrtʃ/
The team conducted research on sleep patterns over three winters.
test a hypothesis
/tɛst ə haɪˈpɑθəsɪs/
They designed an experiment to test the hypothesis that noise slows recovery.
extensive
/ɪkˈstɛnsɪv/
After extensive research, the authors found no link between the two factors.
Words for solid methods and evidence
Rigorous describes a strict, careful method; empirical describes evidence from observation or experiment; peer-reviewed means experts checked it first.
Not "The paper is empirical because experts checked it first." — say "The paper is peer-reviewed because experts checked it first.". Peer-reviewed describes how a study was vetted, not the kind of evidence.
Try it: Mei: How come the judges praised that team's project? Hiroshi: Their testing was ___, because every step was careful and strict. Choose the words for the blank. (rigorous / empirical / peer-reviewed) Answer: rigorous — Rigorous is the standard word for a strict, careful method.
Try it: Which sentence uses 'empirical' correctly? (The conclusion is supported by empirical evidence from field observations. / The professor gave an empirical lecture on the topic. / They felt empirical about the results before seeing the data.) Answer: The conclusion is supported by empirical evidence from field observations. — Empirical describes evidence gathered from observation or experiment.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
rigorous
/ˈrɪɡərəs/
The findings held up because the methodology was so rigorous.
empirical
/ɛmˈpɪrɪkəl/
Their claim rests on empirical evidence, not on theory alone.
peer-reviewed
/ˈpɪr rɪˌvjud/
She only cites peer-reviewed studies in her literature review.
Words for reading results and data
Confounding variables distort results, statistically significant results are unlikely to be chance, quantitative data is numerical, and practical applications are real-world uses.
Not "The gap between the groups was statistical significant." — say "The gap between the groups was statistically significant.". Significant is an adjective, so it needs the adverb statistically.
Try it: Yasmin: Students who slept more also got better grades, so sleep helps, right? Diego: Maybe, but study time could be a ___ variable. Choose the word for the blank. (confounding / confusing / quantitative) Answer: confounding — A confounding variable is a hidden factor that could explain the result; "confusing" only means unclear.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
confounding variable
/kənˈfaʊndɪŋ ˈvɛriəbəl/
In the coffee study, diet was a confounding variable that nobody had measured.
statistically significant
/stəˈtɪstɪkli sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/
Only findings that were statistically significant made it into the final report.
quantitative data
/ˈkwɑntəˌteɪtɪv ˈdeɪtə/
The sleep survey gave quantitative data: hours slept per night for each student.
practical applications
/ˈpræktɪkəl ˌæpləˈkeɪʃənz/
The new glue has practical applications in building lighter bicycles.
What are the common mistakes?
Incorrect
Correct
Why
The scientists did extensive research.
The scientists conducted extensive research.
In formal science writing you conduct research; "do research" reads as casual on the page.
The paper is empirical because experts checked it first.
The paper is peer-reviewed because experts checked it first.
Peer-reviewed describes how a study was vetted, not the kind of evidence.
The gap between the groups was statistical significant.
The gap between the groups was statistically significant.
Significant is an adjective, so it needs the adverb statistically.