Articles

13 October, 2020

11 minutes read

Author:  Richard Pircher

How to Write a Hypothesis?

Have you always been mesmerized by the scientist’s skill to predict the results of their research? Well, as a college student, you’ll have to learn how to write a hypothesis on your own, which is rather challenging. You shouldn’t just guess what will happen but make the conclusion based on your observations, knowledge, and strong theories.

hypothesis

Have you always been mesmerized by the scientist’s skill to predict the results of their research? Well, as a college student, you’ll have to learn how to write a hypothesis on your own, which is rather challenging. You shouldn’t just guess what will happen but make the conclusion based on your observations, knowledge, and strong theories.

how to write a hypothesisIn fact, writing a hypothesis isn’t the most complicated task. But if you hear about it for the first time in your life or don’t know how to present a strong statement, read up our article to clarify everything. Besides, after checking our guidelines, you’ll learn how to write a hypothesis like a pro.

Hypothesis Definition

The hypothesis is a statement connected with the scientific research you’re working on. You have to use your knowledge and some of the existing statements to guess what to expect when the experiment will be over. Besides, you can’t just take a pen and write down all the ideas concerning the process and its results. Hours of observation, problem investigation, analysis of the most crucial topic aspects, and total commitment to research are only a small part of your work.

Although a hypothesis should describe a possible outcome of the research, it’s the piece that can be tested and checked. But Even if you were sure that your experiment would have particular results, something could change during research. No one knows the answer to the question you’ll have to investigate, and you should only provide some thoughts concerning possible outcomes.

Writing a hypothesis gives you much more than predicting scientific results. You’ll get an excellent experience that requires you to dive into the world of the subject. A researcher has to explore various factors that might influence the formation of particular results. Undoubtedly, you’ll have the chance to look at things from different perspectives.

Types of Hypothesis

Before starting working on your scientific research, it’s necessary to clarify what are the major types of hypotheses. By knowing that you essentially ease the task of writing a strong statement because you’ll know the purpose and required direction of your writing. So, let’s discuss the types of hypothesis you’ll have to cope with during studies:

1. Null hypothesis

A null hypothesis is a guess formed by default – it’s based on the possibility that there’s no connection between two objects, events, or phenomena. Thus, a null hypothesis is considered to be the right point of view until the controversial possibility is proved. It’s often indicated as H0. Here’s an example to help you learn how to write a null hypothesis:

  • Age doesn’t affect employee’s productivity.

2. Alternative hypothesis

When researching an issue, you write an alternative hypothesis to define what to expect from the final stage of your experiment. It’s written as H1. Depending on requirements and your research, you’ll have to write one of the alternative hypothesis types:

  • Directional – its purpose is to identify and describe the directions of possible results. It often explains the relationship between events or objects.
  • Non-directional – it only describes the result but doesn’t inform us about the direction of the outcome.

Here are the examples of a directional and non-directional hypothesis:

  • Directional: 8-hour sleep will improve the student’s academic performance.
  • Non-directional: Sleeping 8-hours a day will influence the student’s academic performance.

3. Logical hypothesis

A logical hypothesis isn’t based on hard evidence or persuasive statistical data. Usually, it suggests an explanation that is almost impossible to check. Here’s an example of a logical hypothesis:

  • Cactus adapts to the environmental conditions on Mars better than daisies.

4. Empirical hypothesis

Empirical hypotheses can be supported by scientific theories. It’s possible to experiment and observe the process to check the correctness of your prediction. Take a glance at the following example to figure out how to write an empirical hypothesis

  • Students involved in sports activities feel less stressed out than students who don’t exercise.

5. Associative and causal hypothesis

The associative hypothesis aims to explain the interconnection between objects or events under research. It’s not just the identification of a relationship but the explanation of how one of the variables changes if something happens to another.

The causal hypothesis reflects the interaction of different things like most other hypothesizes. But in this case, we’re speaking about the interaction when one situation causes another. You’ll also have to concentrate on the effect of a relationship between things.

Hypothesis vs Prediction

As we’ve mentioned earlier in our article, the hypothesis is a statement connected with your scientific research. Of course, it has something in common with a prediction because it aims to identify a possible investigation outcome. But there’s also a huge difference between these two types of statements because a hypothesis is based on powerful evidence in most cases.

Writing a hypothesis statement is the first step in your investigation. Your research can support or reject your theory. By all means, your hypothesis can be correct or false, but your statement should be supported by your observations and significant theories. A researcher has to use undeniable facts to explain the connection between objects. Besides, a hypothesis can be checked by exploring the issue.

A prediction is only a figment of your imagination. Of course, you can guess, and the phenomena or event will cause the outcome you’re expecting to see. But you can also be wrong with your statement. A prediction is characterized by a lack of knowledge and supporting details – you just think that some things might happen, and that’s all.

How to Write a Hypothesis?

A good hypothesis uncovers the background of your research, introduces the issue, and explains the purpose of your experiment. Presenting a hypothesis that is easy to test is a must for students, so you should concentrate on the problem you’re exploring, the relationship between objects, and existing statements.  However, this task doesn’t have to scare you because it’s the very beginning of your research. You’ll need your inner strength and total concentration to finish the investigation excellently. That’s why we recommend you to follow our tips to write a hypothesis:

1. Identify the research question

A hypothesis is a brief answer to a research question. So, you need to think well to present a precise and interesting question to come up with a strong statement. It should focus on the main subject or subject and not be too broad or blurry. For example, you can ask, “Does social media affect teenagers’ mental health?

2. Research the problem

As we’ve mentioned earlier in our article, a hypothesis is the explanation of possible experiment results, and it’s supported by facts and theories. It’s necessary to collect some important details connected with the subject and your research. Finding an answer to the question you’ve presented earlier would be your purpose at this stage.

3. Create a hypothesis

Your hypothesis should be focused on the central subject of your topic and research. It introduces your experiment and possible outcome to the audience, so make sure that you’ve formed a clear statement. Since you already have basic knowledge of the problem, it won’t be hard to present a powerful hypothesis.

Hypothesis Checklist

After you’ve learned how to write a hypothesis, you should find out how to make it stronger. Even if it corresponds to a question and focuses on your topic, the chances are that the audience won’t get it right. The following checklist contains questions you should answer to make sure your statement is worth attention:

  • Does it sound natural and clear?
  • Does this hypothesis uncover the background of the research question?
  • Are dependent and independent variables represented in the hypothesis?
  • Is it a testable statement?
  • Did you manage to explain in your hypothesis what exactly you expect to happen during your experiment?

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Hypothesis Examples

In the beginning, you may face different challenges when working on your hypothesis. Lack of inspiration, doubts connected with the strength of your statement, and other aspects will hide all the best ideas from you. That’s why we prepared a few excellent examples to help you present a top-notch hypothesis:

  • Question: Can energy drinks cause heart diseases?
    Hypothesis: Energy drinks contain ingredients that raise blood pressure, which increases the chances of having a heart attack.
  • Question: Are introverts better leaders?
    Hypothesis: Introverts prefer to think everything over rather than to make decisions impulsively. In comparison with extraverts, introverts have better time management compassion skills.
  • Question: Does anxiety affect a student’s academic performance?
    Hypothesis: Anxiety causes disorders like insomnia, headache, panic attacks, and inability to concentrate on a particular subject, which lowers academic performance.

The understanding of the main details connected with a hypothesis will help you complete the task perfectly and get through the jungle of your research excellently. Remember that your statement should have a strong background that includes your knowledge, observations, research, and undeniable facts. Once you’ve explored the main details connected with the topic, you’ll definitely write a hypothesis and impress everyone with the results of your experiment.

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