ABSTRACT
Following the academic schema, scientific research is divided into three phases: observation of the facts, formulation of the hypotheses and experimental testing of the hypotheses to transform them into laws. The elements of systematic analysis in the social sciences can be classified into three categories: conceptual frameworks, experiment and the comparative method. All scientific research is conducted within conceptual frameworks. This implies a classification of facts and a more or less precise typology. This chapter briefly describes three levels of scientific research in the physical and social sciences: the levels of description, classification, and explanation. Establishing a classification of phenomena is a fundamental stage in all scientific research. It is impossible to observe facts as an amorphous mass without any order. Experiment is an essential tool of research in the natural sciences and through it hypotheses are transformed into laws. In the social sciences, experiment in the proper sense of the word is rare.
