Principles of Scientific Research Law and Legal Definition
According to 42 USCS § 12511 (Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare; Chapter 129, National and Community Service; National and Community Service Grant Program; General Provisions), the term "principles of scientific research" means “principles of research that--
(A) apply rigorous, systematic, and objective methodology to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to the subject matter involved;
(B) present findings and make claims that are appropriate to, and supported by, the methods that have been employed; and
(C) include, appropriate to the research being conducted--
(i) use of systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment;
(ii) use of data analyses that are adequate to support the general findings;
(iii) reliance on measurements or observational methods that provide reliable and generalizable findings;
(iv) strong claims of causal relationships, only with research designs that eliminate plausible competing explanations for observed results, such as, but not limited to, random-assignment experiments;
(v) presentation of studies and methods in sufficient detail and clarity to allow for replication or, at a minimum, to offer the opportunity to build systematically on the findings of the research;
(vi) acceptance by a peer-reviewed journal or critique by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective, and scientific review; and
(vii) consistency of findings across multiple studies or sites to support the generality of results and conclusions.” (42 USCS § 12511)
