Yes ✅

The scientific method does not always require quantitative methods. It is a systematic way of gaining knowledge that includes:

1. Observation – Identifying a phenomenon or problem.
2. Hypothesis – Formulating a tentative explanation.
3. Experimentation / Data Collection – Testing the hypothesis.
4. Analysis – Examining whether evidence supports or refutes it.
5. Conclusion – Accepting, modifying, or rejecting the hypothesis.
6. Replication – Others can test again.

Now, data collection and analysis can be both:

• Quantitative (numbers, measurements, statistics) → e.g., physics experiments, survey percentages.
• Qualitative (meanings, observations, patterns) → e.g., ethnography, case studies, interviews.

👉 For example:

• Anthropology/Sociology → A researcher observing rituals in a tribe (qualitative) can still apply the scientific method: systematic observation, coding of behaviors, hypothesis testing.
• Medicine (initial stages) → A doctor may observe patient symptoms qualitatively before any measurements.
• Natural Sciences (historical studies) → Darwin used qualitative observations of species variation before later being supported with quantitative genetics.

📌 So, the scientific method is about systematic inquiry, not necessarily about numbers. Quantitative methods are just one tool among others.

Would you like me to frame this in UPSC answer-writing format (Notion style, point-wise) for you?