"Uncommon" or "emerging" pathogens are ones that are rarely seen in a clinical setting or are new to a geographic area. As a scientist, you will need to follow a logical pattern to determine what the unknown virus is. This logical process is one that all scientists are familiar with the scientific method. The scientific method is a process of determining what natural phenomenon is to be studied and developing a series of experiments to determine what is occurring. Order the steps of the scientific method as a virologist would implement them on the job.

Observe a natural phenomenon or reaction.
Devise an explanation of what you have observed.
Experiment to support of refute your explanation.
Record the results of your experiments.
Determine whether your results support or refute your explanation.
Determine whether you need to rewrite your explanation or it has withstand testing.

Explanation:

The scientific method of research begins with an observation being made. To understand the observation, questions are made. A hypothesis is generated to answer the question. A hypothesis can be described as a tentative statement that can be proved either right or wrong. To test the hypothesis, experiments are performed. Results are generated and conclusions are drawn. If the hypothesis does not prove to be right, then another hypothesis can be tested.