Imagine you are a criminologist working and teaching at a major university in a town called Pearville. You've just discovered that the major retailers in Pearville have seen
a 200% increase in the rate of shoplifting incidents this year compared with the past
several years.
You decide to investigate the reason behind this increase in criminal activity. You will
use the scientific method throughout this quiz to investigate the problem. You begin
by defining the problem: "Why has there been an increase in shoplifting incidents in
the past year compared with previous years?"
Now that you've defined the problem, what is your next step, if you plan to continue
using the scientific method?