On the afternoon of March 10, 2023, the Evidence-based Research Center for Education Assessment (ERCEA) held a regular seminar at the Old Science and Technology Building of Jiangsu University. The seminar was overseen by Professor Huang Jinyan, delivered by Dr. Shahbaz Hussain, an overseas postdoctoral researcher under Professor Huang’s supervision, and attended by a cohort of five graduate students from the Research Center. The topics of this seminar are Research, Scientific Research, Hallmarks of Scientific Research, and Hypothetico-Deductive Method.

Initially, Dr. Hussain taught the students the fundamental principles of research, encompassing its various typologies and the interconnected notions of research and development (R&D). Dr. Hussain provided a precise differentiation based on the study's objective when considering the various forms of research. Furthermore, Dr. Hussain delivered a presentation about the nature and attributes of scientific research. A scientific investigation should exhibit systematicity, logical coherence, and objectivity qualities. Several key attributes characterize scientific inquiry, including testability, purposiveness, parsimony, rigor, precision, and confidence.

In conclusion, Professor Huang provided a comprehensive synthesis and augmentation of Dr. Hussain’s talk, including his perspectives on the nature of scientific research and the methods for discerning between qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The participants engaged in the formulation of pertinent research inquiries and actively participated in scholarly discussions. Professor Huang assigned the scientific study assignments for this semester to the students, and the meeting yielded the anticipated outcomes.