Drawing a conclusion or making a claim involves moving from what one person sees on one occasion to comparisons across multiple cases. Scientists have to decide how to combine data or compare with others and how to make sense of conflicting evidence.

Scientists decide how to work with, organize, and sometimes transform data – both so that they can see patterns and so they can help others understand what they see. 

When drawing conclusions and making claims, scientists face uncertainty given the variability inherent in their data; they have to understand the sources of variability, describe patterns in light of variability, and decide when they have enough evidence.