Five basic characteristics, or tenets, distinguish the scientific method from the other methods of research. Science tries to rule out eccentricities of judgment by researchers. When a study is undertaken, explicit rules and procedures are constructed and the researcher is bound by them, letting the chips fall where they may. Objectivity also requires that scientific research deal with facts rather than interpretations of facts. Science is empirical.
Researchers are concerned with a world that is knowable and potentially measurable.
Analysts must be able to perceive, understand, and classify what they study and reject nonsensical explanations of events. Experience shows that there are usually easily identifiable reasons for declining readership. Scientific research is systematic and cumulative. No single research study stands alone, nor does it rise or fall by itself. Astute research analysts always use previous studies as building blocks for their own work.