The most common and obvious fossils are the preserved skeletal remains of animals. Other fossils, which are also evidence of past organisms, include leaf impressions, tracks and trails, burrows, droppings, and root casts.
Lesson Summary. Non-experimental research does not mean nonscientific. Non-experimental research means there is a predictor variable or group of subjects that cannot be manipulated by the experimenter. Typically, this means that other routes must be used to draw conclusions, such as correlation, survey or case study.
Empirical research is informed by observation, but goes far beyond it. Observations alone are merely observations. What constitutes empirical research is the scientistâs ability to formally operationalize those observations using testable research questions. In well-conducted research, observations about the natural world are cemented in a specific research question or hypothesis.