Year 9 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 3
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Learning Goals
Put it in order
The steps of peer review and verification are listed out of order. Write the numbers 1 to 5 in the boxes to show the correct sequence, from a finished investigation to a trusted finding.
Circle T or F for each statement. If the statement is false, rewrite it correctly on the line below.
Peer review means the general public votes on whether they like a study.
Correct it:
A finding becomes established science as soon as one peer-reviewed study reports it.
Correct it:
Replication is strongest when independent teams, not the original team, repeat a study and get the same result.
Correct it:
A retraction means science has failed and can no longer be trusted.
Correct it:
Scenario
A news headline reads: "New study proves chocolate boosts memory!" The study was real, but it tested only 18 people on a single day. A classmate says, "It was a real study, so it must be true."
(a) Is your classmate correct to fully trust this finding yet? Explain your answer using the idea of a single study.
(b) List the checks this finding should pass before scientists treat it as established knowledge. Name at least two.
(c) Five other teams later repeat the study with larger groups and none find the memory effect. What should scientists conclude about the original headline, and why?
1. Explain what reviewers do during peer review. Give two questions a reviewer might ask about a study.
2. A journal discovers that a study it published contained a serious error in its data. What should the journal do, and why is this a sign of science working well?
Wrap Up
In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?