The scientific method consists of systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses. But what does this mean in the context of Data Science, where a wealth of unstructured data and variety of computational models can be used to deduce an insight and inform a stakeholder's decision?

In this bite episode we discuss the importance of the scientific method for data scientists. Data science is, after all, the application of scientific techniques and processes to large data sets to obtain impact in a given application area.  So we ask how the scientific method can be harnessed efficiently and effectively when there is so much uncertainty in the design and interpretation of an experiment or model.

Further Reading and Resources

• Paper: "Defining the scientific method" via Nature https://www.nature.com/articles/nmeth0409-237
• Paper: "Big data: the end of the scientific method" via The Royal Society https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2018.0145
• Article: "The Data Scientific Method" via Medium https://towardsdatascience.com/a-data-scientific-method-80caa190dbd4
• Article: "The scientific method of machine learning" via Datascience.aero https://datascience.aero/scientific-method-machine-learning/
• Article: "Putting the 'Science' Back in Data Science" via KDnuggets https://www.kdnuggets.com/2017/09/science-data-science.html
• Podcast: "In Our Time: The Scientific Method" via BBC Radio 4 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01b1ljm
• Podcast: "The end of the scientific method" via The Economist https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2019/11/27/the-end-of-the-scientific-method
• Video: "The Scientific Method" via Coursera https://www.coursera.org/lecture/data-science-fundamentals-for-data-analysts/the-scientific-method-Ha5hq
• Cartoon: "Machine Learning" via xkcd https://xkcd.com/1838/

Some links above may require payment or login. We are not endorsing them or receiving any payment for mentioning them. They are provided as is. Often free versions of papers are available and we would encourage you to investigate.

Recording date: 30 April 2021

Intro music by Music 4 Video Library (Patreon supporter)

Thanks for joining us in the DataCafé. You can follow us on twitter @DataCafePodcast and feel free to contact us about anything you've heard here or think would be an interesting topic in the future.