The scientific method is a start.
The essential elements[9][10][11] of a scientific method[12] are iterations,[13][14] recursions,[15] interleavings, and orderings of the following:
* Characterizations (observations,[16] definitions, and measurements of the subject of inquiry)
* Hypotheses[17][18] (theoretical, hypothetical explanations of observations and measurements of the subject)[19]
* Predictions (reasoning including logical deduction[20] from the hypothesis or theory)
* Experiments[21] (tests of all of the above)
* Predictions (reasoning including logical deduction[20] from the hypothesis or theory)* Experiments[21] (tests of all of the above)
Any examples?