What Prima facie is
Prima facie is Latin for “at first sight” and is used to refer to a hypothesis that is taken to be true unless proven otherwise. It is a basic assumption or starting point for further investigation.
Prima facie involves the following steps:
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Identify the problem or hypothesis to be tested.
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Gather data relevant to the problem.
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Analyze the data to determine if there is a significant relationship between the variables.
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Develop a prima facie hypothesis based on the analysis.
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Test the hypothesis to determine if it is accurate.
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Evaluate the results and determine if the hypothesis is supported or rejected.
Examples
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A medical study finds that people who take a particular medication have a statistically significant increase in the risk of developing a certain disease. This is a prima facie case for the medication contributing to the risk of developing the disease.
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A researcher performs a regression analysis and finds a significant correlation between two variables. This is a prima facie case for a causal relationship between the two variables.
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A study finds that people who live in a certain area have a statistically significant increase in the risk of developing a certain disease. This is a prima facie case for the environment in the area contributing to the risk of developing the disease.