Guidelines for testing hypotheses: A case study of episodic crustal production versus supercontinent-linked selective preservation

Abstract

From a big picture perspective, the major components of scientific research include metaphysics, scientific paradigms, scientific hypotheses, scientific data, and tolerance toward various ideas. Based on these components, six guidelines are established for conducting geological research: awareness of underlying assumptions, development of falsifiable hypotheses, testing hypotheses, tolerance of competing hypotheses, replicating results, and obtaining representative sampling. Using these guidelines, a case study follows, which reviews empirical tests of the episodic crustal production hypothesis and the supercontinent-linked selective preservation hypothesis. The results support the episodic crustal production hypothesis while falsifying two key postulates of the selective preservation hypothesis.