NSES Content Standard A 
Science as Inquiry: Understanding about scientific inquiry
Grades 9-12, page 175

Scientific explanations must adhere to criteria such as: a proposed explanation must be logically consistent; it must abide by the rules of evidence; it must be open to questions and possible modification; it must be based on historical and current scientific knowledge.
 

 
Benchmark 1B The Nature of Science: Scientific Inquiry
Grades 9-12, page 13
There are different traditions in science about what is investigated and how, but they all have in common certain basic beliefs about the value of evidence, logic, and good arguments. And there is agreement that progress in all fields of science depends on intelligence, hard work, imagination, and even chance.

Benchmark 1B The Nature of Science: Scientific Inquiry
Grades 9-12, page 13
In the short run, new ideas that do not mesh well with mainstream ideas in science often encounter vigorous criticism. In the long run, theories are judged by how they fit with other theories, the range of observations they explain, how well they explain observations, and how effective they are in predicting new findings.

Benchmark 1C The Nature of Science: The Scientific Enterprise
Grades 6-8, page 18
Accurate record-keeping, openness, and replication are essential for maintaining an investigator's credibility with other scientists and society.