hypothesis generator for research paper

Hypothesis Maker Online

Looking for a hypothesis maker? This online tool for students will help you formulate a beautiful hypothesis quickly, efficiently, and for free.

Are you looking for an effective hypothesis maker online? Worry no more; try our online tool for students and formulate your hypothesis within no time.

• 🔎 How to Use the Tool?
• ⚗️ What Is a Hypothesis in Science?

👍 What Does a Good Hypothesis Mean?

• 🧭 Steps to Making a Good Hypothesis

🔗 References

📄 hypothesis maker: how to use it.

Our hypothesis maker is a simple and efficient tool you can access online for free.

If you want to create a research hypothesis quickly, you should fill out the research details in the given fields on the hypothesis generator.

Below are the fields you should complete to generate your hypothesis:

• Who or what is your research based on? For instance, the subject can be research group 1.
• What does the subject (research group 1) do?
• What does the subject affect? - This shows the predicted outcome, which is the object.
• Who or what will be compared with research group 1? (research group 2).

Once you fill the in the fields, you can click the ‘Make a hypothesis’ tab and get your results.

⚗️ What Is a Hypothesis in the Scientific Method?

A hypothesis is a statement describing an expectation or prediction of your research through observation.

It is similar to academic speculation and reasoning that discloses the outcome of your scientific test . An effective hypothesis, therefore, should be crafted carefully and with precision.

A good hypothesis should have dependent and independent variables . These variables are the elements you will test in your research method – it can be a concept, an event, or an object as long as it is observable.

You can observe the dependent variables while the independent variables keep changing during the experiment.

In a nutshell, a hypothesis directs and organizes the research methods you will use, forming a large section of research paper writing.

Hypothesis vs. Theory

A hypothesis is a realistic expectation that researchers make before any investigation. It is formulated and tested to prove whether the statement is true. A theory, on the other hand, is a factual principle supported by evidence. Thus, a theory is more fact-backed compared to a hypothesis.

Another difference is that a hypothesis is presented as a single statement , while a theory can be an assortment of things . Hypotheses are based on future possibilities toward a specific projection, but the results are uncertain. Theories are verified with undisputable results because of proper substantiation.

When it comes to data, a hypothesis relies on limited information , while a theory is established on an extensive data set tested on various conditions.

You should observe the stated assumption to prove its accuracy.

Since hypotheses have observable variables, their outcome is usually based on a specific occurrence. Conversely, theories are grounded on a general principle involving multiple experiments and research tests.

This general principle can apply to many specific cases.

The primary purpose of formulating a hypothesis is to present a tentative prediction for researchers to explore further through tests and observations. Theories, in their turn, aim to explain plausible occurrences in the form of a scientific study.

It would help to rely on several criteria to establish a good hypothesis. Below are the parameters you should use to analyze the quality of your hypothesis.

🧭 6 Steps to Making a Good Hypothesis

Writing a hypothesis becomes way simpler if you follow a tried-and-tested algorithm. Let’s explore how you can formulate a good hypothesis in a few steps:

Step #1: Ask Questions

The first step in hypothesis creation is asking real questions about the surrounding reality.

Why do things happen as they do? What are the causes of some occurrences?

Your curiosity will trigger great questions that you can use to formulate a stellar hypothesis. So, ensure you pick a research topic of interest to scrutinize the world’s phenomena, processes, and events.

Step #2: Do Initial Research

Carry out preliminary research and gather essential background information about your topic of choice.

The extent of the information you collect will depend on what you want to prove.

Your initial research can be complete with a few academic books or a simple Internet search for quick answers with relevant statistics.

Still, keep in mind that in this phase, it is too early to prove or disapprove of your hypothesis.

Step #3: Identify Your Variables

Now that you have a basic understanding of the topic, choose the dependent and independent variables.

Take note that independent variables are the ones you can’t control, so understand the limitations of your test before settling on a final hypothesis.

Step #4: Formulate Your Hypothesis

You can write your hypothesis as an ‘if – then’ expression . Presenting any hypothesis in this format is reliable since it describes the cause-and-effect you want to test.

For instance: If I study every day, then I will get good grades.

Step #5: Gather Relevant Data

Once you have identified your variables and formulated the hypothesis, you can start the experiment. Remember, the conclusion you make will be a proof or rebuttal of your initial assumption.

So, gather relevant information, whether for a simple or statistical hypothesis, because you need to back your statement.

Step #6: Record Your Findings

Finally, write down your conclusions in a research paper .

Outline in detail whether the test has proved or disproved your hypothesis.

Edit and proofread your work, using a plagiarism checker to ensure the authenticity of your text.

We hope that the above tips will be useful for you. Note that if you need to conduct business analysis, you can use the free templates we’ve prepared: SWOT , PESTLE , VRIO , SOAR , and Porter’s 5 Forces .

❓ Hypothesis Formulator FAQ

Updated: Oct 25th, 2023

• How to Write a Hypothesis in 6 Steps - Grammarly
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• The Hypothesis in Science Writing
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Use our hypothesis maker whenever you need to formulate a hypothesis for your study. We offer a very simple tool where you just need to provide basic info about your variables, subjects, and predicted outcomes. The rest is on us. Get a perfect hypothesis in no time!

Research Hypothesis Generator Online

• ️👍 Hypothesis Maker: the Benefits
• ️🔎 How to Use the Tool?
• ️🕵️ What Is a Research Hypothesis?
• ️⚗️ Scientific Method
• ️🔗 References

👍 Hypothesis Maker: the Benefits

Here are the key benefits of this null and alternative hypothesis generator.

🔎 Hypothesis Generator: How to Use It?

Whenever you conduct research, whether a 5-paragraph essay or a more complex assignment, you need to create a hypothesis for this study.

Clueless about how to create a good hypothesis?

No need to waste time and energy on this small portion of your writing process! You can always use our hypothesis creator to get a researchable assumption in no time.

To get a ready-made hypothesis idea, you need to:

• State the object of your study
• Specify what the object does
• Lay out the outcome of that activity
• Indicate the comparison group

Once all data is inserted into the fields, you can press the “Generate now” button and get the result from our hypothesis generator for research paper or any other academic task.

🕵️ What Is a Research Hypothesis?

A hypothesis is your assumption based on existing academic knowledge and observations of the surrounding natural world.

It also involves a healthy portion of intuition because you should arrive at an interesting, commonsense question about the phenomena or processes you observe.

The traditional formula for hypothesis generation is an “if…then” statement, reflecting its falsifiability and testability.

What do these terms mean?

• Testability means you can formulate a scientific guess and test it with data and analysis.
• Falsifiability is a related feature, allowing you to refute the hypothesis with data and show that your guess has no tangible support in real-world data.

For example, you might want to hypothesize the following:

If children are given enough free play time, their intelligence scores rise quicker.

You can test this assumption by observing and measuring two groups – children involved in much free play and those who don’t get free play time. Once the study period ends, you can measure the intelligence scores in both groups to see the difference, thus proving or disproving your hypothesis, which will be testing your hypothesis. If you find tangible differences between the two groups, your hypothesis will be proven, and if there is no difference, the hypothesis will prove false.

Null and Alternative Hypothesis

As a rule, hypotheses are presented in pairs in academic studies, as your scientific guess may be refuted or proved. Thus, you should formulate two hypotheses – a null and alternative variant of the same guess – to see which one is proved with your experiment.

The alternative hypothesis is formulated in an affirmative form, assuming a specific relationship between variables. In other words, you hypothesize that the predetermined outcome will be observed if one condition is met.

Watching films before sleep reduces the quality of sleep.

The null hypothesis is formulated in a negative form, suggesting that there is no association between the variables of your interest. For example:

Watching films before sleep doesn’t affect the quality of sleep.

⚗️ Creating a Hypothesis: the Key Steps

The development and testing of multiple hypotheses are the basis of the scientific method .

Without such inquiries, academic knowledge would never progress, and humanity would remain with a limited understanding of the natural world.

How can you contribute to the existing academic base with well-developed and rigorously planned scientific studies ? Here is an introduction to the empirical method of scientific inquiry.

Step #1: Observe the World Around You

Look around you to see what’s taking place in your academic area. If you’re a biology researcher, look into the untapped biological processes or intriguing facts that nobody has managed to explain before you.

What’s surprising or unusual in your observations? How can you approach this area of interest?

That’s the starting point of an academic journey to new knowledge.

Step #2: Ask Questions

Now that you've found a subject of interest, it's time to generate scientific research questions .

A question can be called scientific if it is well-defined, focuses on measurable dimensions, and is largely testable.

Some hints for a scientific question are:

• What effect does X produce on Y?
• What happens if the intensity of X’s impact reduces or rises?
• What is the primary cause of X?
• How is X related to Y in this group of people?
• How effective is X in the field of C?

As you can see, X is the independent variable , and Y is the dependent variable.

This principle of hypothesis formulation is vital for cases when you want to illustrate or measure the strength of one variable's effect on the other.

Step #3: Generate a Research Hypothesis

After asking the scientific question, you can hypothesize what your answer to it can be.

You don't have any data yet to answer the question confidently, but you can assume what effect you will observe during an empirical investigation.

For example, suppose your background research shows that protein consumption boosts muscle growth.

In that case, you can hypothesize that a sample group consuming much protein after physical training will exhibit better muscle growth dynamics compared to those who don’t eat protein. This way, you’re making a scientific guess based on your prior knowledge of the subject and your intuition.

Step #4: Hold an Experiment

With a hypothesis at hand, you can proceed to the empirical study for its testing. As a rule, you should have a clearly formulated methodology for proving or disproving your hypothesis before you create it. Otherwise, how can you know that it is testable? An effective hypothesis usually contains all data about the research context and the population of interest.

For example:

Marijuana consumption among U. S. college students reduces their motivation and academic achievement.

• The study sample here is college students.
• The dependent variable is motivation and academic achievement, which you can measure with any validated scale (e.g., Intrinsic Motivation Inventory).
• The inclusion criterion for the study's experimental group is marijuana use.
• The control group might be a group of marijuana non-users from the same population.
• A viable research methodology is to ask both groups to fill out the survey and compare the results.

Step #5: Analyze Your Findings

Once the study is over and you have the collected dataset, it's time to analyze the findings.

The methodology should also delineate the criteria for proving or disproving the hypothesis.

Using the previous section's example, your hypothesis is proven if the experimental group reveals lower motivational scores and has a lower GPA . If both groups' motivation and GPA scores aren't statistically different, your hypothesis is false.

Step #6: Formulate Your Conclusion

Using your study's hypothesis and outcomes, you can now generate a conclusion . If the alternative hypothesis is proven, you can conclude that marijuana use hinders students' achievement and motivation. If the null hypothesis is validated, you should report no identified relationship between low academic achievement and weed use.

Thank you for reading this article! Note that if you need to conduct a business analysis, you can try our free tools: SWOT , VRIO , SOAR , PESTEL , and Porter’s Five Forces .

❓ Research Hypothesis Generator FAQ

❓ what is a research hypothesis.

A hypothesis is a guess or assumption you make by looking at the available data from the natural world. You assume a specific relationship between variables or phenomena and formulate that supposition for further testing with experimentation and analysis.

❓ How to write a hypothesis?

To compose an effective hypothesis, you need to look at your research question and formulate a couple of ways to answer it. The available scientific data can guide you to assume your study's outcome. Thus, the hypothesis is a guess of how your research question will be answered by the end of your research.

❓ What is the difference between prediction and hypothesis?

A prediction is your forecast about the outcome of some activities or experimentation. It is a guess of what will happen if you perform some actions with a specific object or person. A hypothesis is a more in-depth inquiry into the way things are related. It is more about explaining specific mechanisms and relationships.

❓ What makes a good hypothesis?

A strong hypothesis should indicate the dependent and independent variables, specifying the relationship you assume between them. You can also strengthen your hypothesis by indicating a specific population group, an intervention period, and the context in which you'll hold the study.

🔗 References

• What is and How to Write a Good Hypothesis in Research?
• Research questions, hypotheses and objectives - PMC - NCBI
• Developing the research hypothesis - PubMed
• Alternative Hypothesis - SAGE Research Methods
• Alternative Hypothesis Guide: Definition, Types and Examples

Use Our Free A/B Testing Hypothesis Generator . Never Miss Key Elements From Your Hypotheses. Get Big Conversion Lifts.

Observation, inadvertent impact.

Streamline Your Hypothesis Generation Research with Custom Templates the Pros Use.

Have questions about a/b testing hypotheses, what is a hypothesis.

Many people define a hypothesis as an “educated guess”.

To be more precise, a properly constructed hypothesis predicts a possible outcome to an experiment or a test where one variable (the independent one ) is tweaked and/or modified and the impact is measured by the change in behavior of another variable (generally the dependent one).

A hypothesis should be specific (it should clearly define what is being altered and what is the expected impact), data-driven (the changes being made to the independent variable should be based on historic data or theories that have been proven in the past), and testable (it should be possible to conduct the proposed test in a controlled environment to establish the relationship between the variables involved, and disprove the hypothesis - should it be untrue.)

What is the Cost of a Hastily Assembled Hypothesis?

According to an analysis of over 28,000 tests run using the Convert Experiences platform, only 1 in 5 tests proves to be statistically significant.

While more and more debate is opening up around sticking to the concept of 95% statistical significance, it is still a valid rule of thumb for optimizers who do not want to get into the fray with peeking vs. no peeking, and custom stopping rules for experiments.

There might be a multitude of reasons why a test does not reach statistical significance. But framing a tenable hypothesis that already proves itself logistically feasible on paper is a better starting point than a hastily assembled assumption.

Moreover, the aim of an A/B test may be to extract a learning, but some learnings come with heavy costs. 26% decrease in conversion rates to be specific.

A robust hypothesis may not be the answer to all testing woes, but it does help prioritisation of possible solutions and leads testing teams to pick low hanging fruits.

How is an A/B Testing Hypothesis Different?

An A/B test should be treated with the same rigour as tests conducted in laboratories. That is an easy way to guarantee better hypotheses, more relevant experiments, and ultimately more profitable optimization programs.

The focus of an A/B test should be on first extracting a learning , and then monetizing it in the form of increased registration completions, better cart conversions and more revenue.

If that is true, then an A/B test hypothesis is not very different from a regular scientific hypothesis. With a couple of interesting points to note:

• Most scientific hypotheses proceed with one independent variable and one dependent variable, for the sake of simplicity. But in A/B tests, there might be changes made to several independent variables at the same time. Under such circumstances it is good to explore the relationship between the independent variables to make sure that they do not inadvertently impact one another. For example changing both the value proposition and button copy of a landing page to determine improvement in click through or completion rates is tricky. Reaching a point where the browser is compelled to click the button could easily have been impacted by the value proposition (as in a strong hook and heading). So what caused the improvement in the dependent variable? Was it the change to the first element or the second one?
• The concept of Operational Definition is non-negotiable in most laboratory experiments. And comes baked with the question of ethics or morality. Operation Definition is the specific process that will be used to quantify the change in the value/behavior of the independent variable in the test. As an example, if a test wishes to measure the level of frustration that subjects experience when they are exposed to certain stimuli, researchers must be careful to define exactly how they will measure the output or frustration. Should they allow the test subjects to act out, in which case they may hurt or harm other individuals. Or should they use a non-invasive technique like an fMRI scan to monitor brain activity and collect the needed data. In A/B tests however, since data is collected through relatively inanimate channels like analytics dashboards, generally little thought is spared to Operational Definition and the impact of A/B testing on the human subjects (site traffic in this case).

The 5 Essential Parts of an A/B Testing Hypothesis

A robust A/B testing hypothesis should be assembled in 5 key parts:

1. OBSERVATION

This includes a clear outline of the problem (the unexplained phenomenon) observed and what it entails. This section should be completely free of conjecture and rely solely on good quality data - either qualitative and/or quantitative - to bring a potential area of improvement to light. It also includes a mention of the way in which the data is collected.

Proper observation ensures a credible hypothesis that is easy to “defend” later down the line.

2. EXECUTION

This is the where, what, and the who of the A/B test. It specifies the change(s) you will be making to site element(s) in an attempt to solve the problem that has been outlined under “OBSERVATION”. It serves to also clearly define the segment of site traffic that will be exposed to the experiment.

Proper execution guidelines set the rhythm for the A/B test. They define how easy or difficult it will be to deploy the test and thus aid hypothesis prioritization .

This is where you make your educated guess or informed prediction. Based on a diligently identified OBSERVATION and EXECUTION guidelines that are possible to deploy, your OUTCOME should clearly mention two things:

• The change (increase or decrease) you expect to see to the problem or the symptoms of the problem identified under OBSERVATION.
• The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) you will be monitoring to gauge whether your prediction has panned out, or not.

In general most A/B tests have one primary KPI and a couple of secondary KPIs or ways to measure impact. This is to ensure that external influences do not skew A/B test results and even if the primary KPI is compromised in some way, the secondary KPIs do a good job of indicating that the change is indeed due to the implementation of the EXECUTION guidelines, and not the result of unmonitored external factors.

4. LOGISTICS

An important part of hypothesis formulation, LOGISTICS talk about what it will take to collect enough clean data from which a reliable conclusion can be drawn. How many unique tested visitors, what is the statistical significance desired, how many conversions is enough and what is the duration for which the A/B test should run? Each question on its own merits a blog or a lesson. But for the sake of convenience, Convert has created a Free Sample Size & A/B/N Test Duration Calculator .

Set the right logistical expectations so that you can prioritise your hypotheses for maximum impact and minimum effort .

5. INADVERTENT IMPACT

This is a nod in the direction of ethics in A/B testing and marketing, because experiments involve humans and optimizers should be aware of the possible impact on their behavior.

Often a thorough analysis at this stage can modify the way impact is measured or an experiment is conducted. Or Convert certainly hopes that this will be the case in future. Here’s why ethics do matter in testing.

Now Organize, Prioritise & Learn from Your Hypotheses.

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Research Hypothesis Generator

Generate research hypotheses with ai.

• Academic Research: Formulate a hypothesis for your thesis or dissertation based on your research topic and objectives.
• Data Analysis: Generate a hypothesis to guide your data collection and analysis strategy.
• Market Research: Develop a hypothesis to guide your investigation into market trends and consumer behavior.
• Scientific Research: Create a hypothesis to direct your experimental design and data interpretation.

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Online Hypothesis Generator

Add the required information into the fields below to build a list of well-formulated hypotheses.

• If patients follow medical prescriptions, then their condition will improve.
• If patients follow medical prescriptions, then their condition will show better results.
• If patients follow medical prescriptions, then their condition will show better results than those who do not follow medical prescriptions.
• H0 (null hypothesis) - Attending most lectures by first-year students has no effect on their exam scores.
• H1 (alternative hypothesis) - Attending most lectures by first-year students has a positive effect on their exam scores.

* Hint - choose either null or alternative hypothesis

⭐️ Hypothesis Creator: the Benefits

• 🔎 How to Use the Tool?
• 🤔 What Is a Hypothesis?
• 👣 Steps to Generating a Hypothesis
• 🔍 References

🔎 Hypothesis Generator: How to Use It?

The generation of a workable hypothesis is not an easy task for many students. You need to research widely, understand the gaps in your study area, and comprehend the method of hypothesis formulation to the dot. Lucky for you, we have a handy hypothesis generator that takes hours of tedious work out of your study process.

To use our hypothesis generator, you’ll need to do the following:

• Indicate your experimental group (people, phenomena, event)
• Stipulate what it does
• Add the effect that the subject’s activities produce
• Specify the comparison group

Once you put all this data into our online hypothesis generator, click on the “Generate hypothesis” tab and enjoy instant results. The tool will come up with a well-formulated hypothesis in seconds.

🤔 What Is a Research Hypothesis?

A hypothesis is a claim or statement you make about the assumed relationship between the dependent and independent variables you're planning to test. It is formulated at the beginning of your study to show the direction you will take in the analysis of your subject of interest.

The hypothesis works in tandem with your research purpose and research question , delineating your entire perspective.

For example, if you focus on the quality of palliative care in the USA , your perspective may be as follows.

This way, your hypothesis serves as a tentative answer to your research question, which you aim to prove or disprove with scientific data, statistics, and analysis.

Hypothesis Types

In most scholarly studies, you’ll be required to write hypotheses in pairs – as a null and alternative hypothesis :

• The alternative hypothesis assumes a statistically significant relationship between the identified variables. Thus, if you find that relationship in the analysis process, you can consider the alternative hypothesis proven.
• A null hypothesis is the opposite; it assumes that there is no relationship between the variables. Thus, if you find no statistically significant association, the null hypothesis is considered proven.

A handy example is as follows:

You are researching the impact of sugar intake on child obesity . So, based on your data, you can either find that the number of sugar spoons a day directly impacts obesity or that the sugar intake is not associated with obesity in your sample. The hypotheses for this study would be as follows:

ALTERNATIVE

There is a relationship between the number of sugar spoons consumed daily and obesity in U.S. preschoolers.

There is no relationship between the number of sugar spoons consumed daily and obesity in U.S. preschoolers.

Besides, hypotheses can be directional and non-directional by type:

• A directional hypothesis assumes a cause-and-effect relationship between variables, clearly designating the assumed difference in study groups or parameters.
• A non-directional hypothesis , in turn, only assumes a relationship or difference without a clear estimate of its direction.

NON-DIRECTIONAL

Students in high school and college perform differently on critical thinking tests.

DIRECTIONAL

College students perform better on critical thinking tests that high-school students.

👣 How to Make a Hypothesis in Research

Now let’s cover the algorithm of hypothesis generation to make this process simple and manageable for you.

Step #1: Formulate Your Research Question

The first step is to create a research question . Study the topic of interest and clarify what aspect you're fascinated about, wishing to learn more about the hidden connections, effects, and relationships.

Step #2: Research the Topic

Next, you should conduct some research to test your assumption and see whether there’s enough published evidence to back up your point. You should find credible sources that discuss the concepts you’ve singled out for the study and delineate a relationship between them. Once you identify a reasonable body of research, it’s time to go on.

Step #3: Make an Assumption

With some scholarly data, you should now be better positioned to make a researchable assumption.

For instance, if you find out that many scholars associate heavy social media use with a feeling of loneliness, you can hypothesize that the hours spent on social networks will directly correlate with perceived loneliness intensity.

Step #4: Improve Your Hypothesis

Now that you have a hypothesis, it’s time to refine it by adding context and population specifics. Who will you study? What social network will you focus on? In this example, you can focus on the student sample’s use of Instagram .

Step #5: Try Different Phrasing

The final step is the proper presentation of your hypothesis. You can try several variants, focusing on the variables, correlations , or groups you compare.

For instance, you can say that students spending 3+ hours on Instagram every day are lonelier than their peers. Otherwise, you can hypothesize that heavy social media use leads to elevated feelings of loneliness.

👀 Null Hypothesis Examples

If you’re unsure about how to generate great hypotheses, get some inspiration from the list of examples formulated by our writing pros.

Thank you for reading this article! If you’re planning to analyze business issues, try our free templates: PEST , PESTEL , SWOT , SOAR , VRIO , and Five Forces .

❓ Hypothesis Generator FAQ

❓ what does hypothesis mean.

A hypothesis in an essay or a larger research assignment is your claim or prediction of the relationship you assume between the identified dependent and independent variables. You share an assumption that you’re going to test with research and data analysis in the later sections of your paper.

❓ How to create a hypothesis?

The first step to formulating a good hypothesis is to ask a question about your subject of interest and understand what effects it may experience from external sources or how it changes over time. You can identify differences between groups and inquire into the nature of those distinctions. In any way, you need to voice some assumption that you’ll further test with data; that assumption will be your hypothesis for a study.

❓ What is a null and alternative hypothesis?

You need to formulate a null and alternative hypothesis if you plan to test some relationship between variables with statistical instruments. For example, you might compare a group of students on an emotional intelligence scale to determine whether first-year students are less emotionally competent than graduates. In this case, your alternative hypothesis would state that they are, and a null hypothesis would say that there is no difference between student groups.

❓ What does it mean to reject the null hypothesis?

A null hypothesis assumes that there is no difference between groups or that the dependent variables don't have any sizable impact on the independent variable. If your null hypothesis gets rejected, it means that your alternative hypothesis has been proved, showing that there is a tangible difference or relationship between your variables.

🔗 References

• How to Write a Hypothesis in 6 Steps - Grammarly
• The Hypothesis in Science Writing
• Hypothesis Definition & Examples - Simply Psychology
• Hypothesis Examples: Different Types in Science and Research
• Forming a Good Hypothesis for Scientific Research

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The Craft of Writing a Strong Hypothesis

Table of Contents

Writing a hypothesis is one of the essential elements of a scientific research paper. It needs to be to the point, clearly communicating what your research is trying to accomplish. A blurry, drawn-out, or complexly-structured hypothesis can confuse your readers. Or worse, the editor and peer reviewers.

A captivating hypothesis is not too intricate. This blog will take you through the process so that, by the end of it, you have a better idea of how to convey your research paper's intent in just one sentence.

What is a Hypothesis?

The first step in your scientific endeavor, a hypothesis, is a strong, concise statement that forms the basis of your research. It is not the same as a thesis statement , which is a brief summary of your research paper .

The sole purpose of a hypothesis is to predict your paper's findings, data, and conclusion. It comes from a place of curiosity and intuition . When you write a hypothesis, you're essentially making an educated guess based on scientific prejudices and evidence, which is further proven or disproven through the scientific method.

The reason for undertaking research is to observe a specific phenomenon. A hypothesis, therefore, lays out what the said phenomenon is. And it does so through two variables, an independent and dependent variable.

The independent variable is the cause behind the observation, while the dependent variable is the effect of the cause. A good example of this is “mixing red and blue forms purple.” In this hypothesis, mixing red and blue is the independent variable as you're combining the two colors at your own will. The formation of purple is the dependent variable as, in this case, it is conditional to the independent variable.

Different Types of Hypotheses‌

Types of hypotheses

Some would stand by the notion that there are only two types of hypotheses: a Null hypothesis and an Alternative hypothesis. While that may have some truth to it, it would be better to fully distinguish the most common forms as these terms come up so often, which might leave you out of context.

Apart from Null and Alternative, there are Complex, Simple, Directional, Non-Directional, Statistical, and Associative and casual hypotheses. They don't necessarily have to be exclusive, as one hypothesis can tick many boxes, but knowing the distinctions between them will make it easier for you to construct your own.

1. Null hypothesis

A null hypothesis proposes no relationship between two variables. Denoted by H 0 , it is a negative statement like “Attending physiotherapy sessions does not affect athletes' on-field performance.” Here, the author claims physiotherapy sessions have no effect on on-field performances. Even if there is, it's only a coincidence.

2. Alternative hypothesis

Considered to be the opposite of a null hypothesis, an alternative hypothesis is donated as H1 or Ha. It explicitly states that the dependent variable affects the independent variable. A good  alternative hypothesis example is “Attending physiotherapy sessions improves athletes' on-field performance.” or “Water evaporates at 100 °C. ” The alternative hypothesis further branches into directional and non-directional.

• Directional hypothesis: A hypothesis that states the result would be either positive or negative is called directional hypothesis. It accompanies H1 with either the ‘<' or ‘>' sign.
• Non-directional hypothesis: A non-directional hypothesis only claims an effect on the dependent variable. It does not clarify whether the result would be positive or negative. The sign for a non-directional hypothesis is ‘≠.'

3. Simple hypothesis

A simple hypothesis is a statement made to reflect the relation between exactly two variables. One independent and one dependent. Consider the example, “Smoking is a prominent cause of lung cancer." The dependent variable, lung cancer, is dependent on the independent variable, smoking.

4. Complex hypothesis

In contrast to a simple hypothesis, a complex hypothesis implies the relationship between multiple independent and dependent variables. For instance, “Individuals who eat more fruits tend to have higher immunity, lesser cholesterol, and high metabolism.” The independent variable is eating more fruits, while the dependent variables are higher immunity, lesser cholesterol, and high metabolism.

5. Associative and casual hypothesis

Associative and casual hypotheses don't exhibit how many variables there will be. They define the relationship between the variables. In an associative hypothesis, changing any one variable, dependent or independent, affects others. In a casual hypothesis, the independent variable directly affects the dependent.

6. Empirical hypothesis

Also referred to as the working hypothesis, an empirical hypothesis claims a theory's validation via experiments and observation. This way, the statement appears justifiable and different from a wild guess.

Say, the hypothesis is “Women who take iron tablets face a lesser risk of anemia than those who take vitamin B12.” This is an example of an empirical hypothesis where the researcher  the statement after assessing a group of women who take iron tablets and charting the findings.

7. Statistical hypothesis

The point of a statistical hypothesis is to test an already existing hypothesis by studying a population sample. Hypothesis like “44% of the Indian population belong in the age group of 22-27.” leverage evidence to prove or disprove a particular statement.

Characteristics of a Good Hypothesis

Writing a hypothesis is essential as it can make or break your research for you. That includes your chances of getting published in a journal. So when you're designing one, keep an eye out for these pointers:

• A research hypothesis has to be simple yet clear to look justifiable enough.
• It has to be testable — your research would be rendered pointless if too far-fetched into reality or limited by technology.
• It has to be precise about the results —what you are trying to do and achieve through it should come out in your hypothesis.
• A research hypothesis should be self-explanatory, leaving no doubt in the reader's mind.
• If you are developing a relational hypothesis, you need to include the variables and establish an appropriate relationship among them.
• A hypothesis must keep and reflect the scope for further investigations and experiments.

Separating a Hypothesis from a Prediction

Outside of academia, hypothesis and prediction are often used interchangeably. In research writing, this is not only confusing but also incorrect. And although a hypothesis and prediction are guesses at their core, there are many differences between them.

A hypothesis is an educated guess or even a testable prediction validated through research. It aims to analyze the gathered evidence and facts to define a relationship between variables and put forth a logical explanation behind the nature of events.

Predictions are assumptions or expected outcomes made without any backing evidence. They are more fictionally inclined regardless of where they originate from.

For this reason, a hypothesis holds much more weight than a prediction. It sticks to the scientific method rather than pure guesswork. "Planets revolve around the Sun." is an example of a hypothesis as it is previous knowledge and observed trends. Additionally, we can test it through the scientific method.

Whereas "COVID-19 will be eradicated by 2030." is a prediction. Even though it results from past trends, we can't prove or disprove it. So, the only way this gets validated is to wait and watch if COVID-19 cases end by 2030.

Finally, How to Write a Hypothesis

Quick tips on writing a hypothesis

1.  Be clear about your research question

A hypothesis should instantly address the research question or the problem statement. To do so, you need to ask a question. Understand the constraints of your undertaken research topic and then formulate a simple and topic-centric problem. Only after that can you develop a hypothesis and further test for evidence.

2. Carry out a recce

Once you have your research's foundation laid out, it would be best to conduct preliminary research. Go through previous theories, academic papers, data, and experiments before you start curating your research hypothesis. It will give you an idea of your hypothesis's viability or originality.

Making use of references from relevant research papers helps draft a good research hypothesis. SciSpace Discover offers a repository of over 270 million research papers to browse through and gain a deeper understanding of related studies on a particular topic. Additionally, you can use SciSpace Copilot , your AI research assistant, for reading any lengthy research paper and getting a more summarized context of it. A hypothesis can be formed after evaluating many such summarized research papers. Copilot also offers explanations for theories and equations, explains paper in simplified version, allows you to highlight any text in the paper or clip math equations and tables and provides a deeper, clear understanding of what is being said. This can improve the hypothesis by helping you identify potential research gaps.

3. Create a 3-dimensional hypothesis

Variables are an essential part of any reasonable hypothesis. So, identify your independent and dependent variable(s) and form a correlation between them. The ideal way to do this is to write the hypothetical assumption in the ‘if-then' form. If you use this form, make sure that you state the predefined relationship between the variables.

In another way, you can choose to present your hypothesis as a comparison between two variables. Here, you must specify the difference you expect to observe in the results.

4. Write the first draft

Now that everything is in place, it's time to write your hypothesis. For starters, create the first draft. In this version, write what you expect to find from your research.

Clearly separate your independent and dependent variables and the link between them. Don't fixate on syntax at this stage. The goal is to ensure your hypothesis addresses the issue.

5. Proof your hypothesis

After preparing the first draft of your hypothesis, you need to inspect it thoroughly. It should tick all the boxes, like being concise, straightforward, relevant, and accurate. Your final hypothesis has to be well-structured as well.

Research projects are an exciting and crucial part of being a scholar. And once you have your research question, you need a great hypothesis to begin conducting research. Thus, knowing how to write a hypothesis is very important.

Now that you have a firmer grasp on what a good hypothesis constitutes, the different kinds there are, and what process to follow, you will find it much easier to write your hypothesis, which ultimately helps your research.

Now it's easier than ever to streamline your research workflow with SciSpace Discover . Its integrated, comprehensive end-to-end platform for research allows scholars to easily discover, write and publish their research and fosters collaboration.

It includes everything you need, including a repository of over 270 million research papers across disciplines, SEO-optimized summaries and public profiles to show your expertise and experience.

If you found these tips on writing a research hypothesis useful, head over to our blog on Statistical Hypothesis Testing to learn about the top researchers, papers, and institutions in this domain.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. what is the definition of hypothesis.

According to the Oxford dictionary, a hypothesis is defined as “An idea or explanation of something that is based on a few known facts, but that has not yet been proved to be true or correct”.

2. What is an example of hypothesis?

The hypothesis is a statement that proposes a relationship between two or more variables. An example: "If we increase the number of new users who join our platform by 25%, then we will see an increase in revenue."

3. What is an example of null hypothesis?

A null hypothesis is a statement that there is no relationship between two variables. The null hypothesis is written as H0. The null hypothesis states that there is no effect. For example, if you're studying whether or not a particular type of exercise increases strength, your null hypothesis will be "there is no difference in strength between people who exercise and people who don't."

4. What are the types of research?

• Fundamental research

• Applied research

• Qualitative research

• Quantitative research

• Mixed research

• Exploratory research

• Longitudinal research

• Cross-sectional research

• Field research

• Laboratory research

• Fixed research

• Flexible research

• Action research

• Policy research

• Classification research

• Comparative research

• Causal research

• Inductive research

• Deductive research

5. How to write a hypothesis?

• Your hypothesis should be able to predict the relationship and outcome.

• Avoid wordiness by keeping it simple and brief.

• Your hypothesis should contain observable and testable outcomes.

• Your hypothesis should be relevant to the research question.

6. What are the 2 types of hypothesis?

• Null hypotheses are used to test the claim that "there is no difference between two groups of data".

• Alternative hypotheses test the claim that "there is a difference between two data groups".

7. Difference between research question and research hypothesis?

A research question is a broad, open-ended question you will try to answer through your research. A hypothesis is a statement based on prior research or theory that you expect to be true due to your study. Example - Research question: What are the factors that influence the adoption of the new technology? Research hypothesis: There is a positive relationship between age, education and income level with the adoption of the new technology.

8. What is plural for hypothesis?

The plural of hypothesis is hypotheses. Here's an example of how it would be used in a statement, "Numerous well-considered hypotheses are presented in this part, and they are supported by tables and figures that are well-illustrated."

9. What is the red queen hypothesis?

The red queen hypothesis in evolutionary biology states that species must constantly evolve to avoid extinction because if they don't, they will be outcompeted by other species that are evolving. Leigh Van Valen first proposed it in 1973; since then, it has been tested and substantiated many times.

10. Who is known as the father of null hypothesis?

The father of the null hypothesis is Sir Ronald Fisher. He published a paper in 1925 that introduced the concept of null hypothesis testing, and he was also the first to use the term itself.

11. When to reject null hypothesis?

You need to find a significant difference between your two populations to reject the null hypothesis. You can determine that by running statistical tests such as an independent sample t-test or a dependent sample t-test. You should reject the null hypothesis if the p-value is less than 0.05.

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How to Write a Research Hypothesis: Good & Bad Examples

What is a research hypothesis?

A research hypothesis is an attempt at explaining a phenomenon or the relationships between phenomena/variables in the real world. Hypotheses are sometimes called “educated guesses”, but they are in fact (or let’s say they should be) based on previous observations, existing theories, scientific evidence, and logic. A research hypothesis is also not a prediction—rather, predictions are ( should be) based on clearly formulated hypotheses. For example, “We tested the hypothesis that KLF2 knockout mice would show deficiencies in heart development” is an assumption or prediction, not a hypothesis. 

The research hypothesis at the basis of this prediction is “the product of the KLF2 gene is involved in the development of the cardiovascular system in mice”—and this hypothesis is probably (hopefully) based on a clear observation, such as that mice with low levels of Kruppel-like factor 2 (which KLF2 codes for) seem to have heart problems. From this hypothesis, you can derive the idea that a mouse in which this particular gene does not function cannot develop a normal cardiovascular system, and then make the prediction that we started with. 

What is the difference between a hypothesis and a prediction?

You might think that these are very subtle differences, and you will certainly come across many publications that do not contain an actual hypothesis or do not make these distinctions correctly. But considering that the formulation and testing of hypotheses is an integral part of the scientific method, it is good to be aware of the concepts underlying this approach. The two hallmarks of a scientific hypothesis are falsifiability (an evaluation standard that was introduced by the philosopher of science Karl Popper in 1934) and testability —if you cannot use experiments or data to decide whether an idea is true or false, then it is not a hypothesis (or at least a very bad one).

So, in a nutshell, you (1) look at existing evidence/theories, (2) come up with a hypothesis, (3) make a prediction that allows you to (4) design an experiment or data analysis to test it, and (5) come to a conclusion. Of course, not all studies have hypotheses (there is also exploratory or hypothesis-generating research), and you do not necessarily have to state your hypothesis as such in your paper. 

But for the sake of understanding the principles of the scientific method, let’s first take a closer look at the different types of hypotheses that research articles refer to and then give you a step-by-step guide for how to formulate a strong hypothesis for your own paper.

Types of Research Hypotheses

Hypotheses can be simple , which means they describe the relationship between one single independent variable (the one you observe variations in or plan to manipulate) and one single dependent variable (the one you expect to be affected by the variations/manipulation). If there are more variables on either side, you are dealing with a complex hypothesis. You can also distinguish hypotheses according to the kind of relationship between the variables you are interested in (e.g., causal or associative ). But apart from these variations, we are usually interested in what is called the “alternative hypothesis” and, in contrast to that, the “null hypothesis”. If you think these two should be listed the other way round, then you are right, logically speaking—the alternative should surely come second. However, since this is the hypothesis we (as researchers) are usually interested in, let’s start from there.

Alternative Hypothesis

If you predict a relationship between two variables in your study, then the research hypothesis that you formulate to describe that relationship is your alternative hypothesis (usually H1 in statistical terms). The goal of your hypothesis testing is thus to demonstrate that there is sufficient evidence that supports the alternative hypothesis, rather than evidence for the possibility that there is no such relationship. The alternative hypothesis is usually the research hypothesis of a study and is based on the literature, previous observations, and widely known theories. 

Null Hypothesis

The hypothesis that describes the other possible outcome, that is, that your variables are not related, is the null hypothesis ( H0 ). Based on your findings, you choose between the two hypotheses—usually that means that if your prediction was correct, you reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative. Make sure, however, that you are not getting lost at this step of the thinking process: If your prediction is that there will be no difference or change, then you are trying to find support for the null hypothesis and reject H1. 

Directional Hypothesis

While the null hypothesis is obviously “static”, the alternative hypothesis can specify a direction for the observed relationship between variables—for example, that mice with higher expression levels of a certain protein are more active than those with lower levels. This is then called a one-tailed hypothesis. 

Another example for a directional one-tailed alternative hypothesis would be that 

H1: Attending private classes before important exams has a positive effect on performance. 

Your null hypothesis would then be that

H0: Attending private classes before important exams has no/a negative effect on performance.

Nondirectional Hypothesis

A nondirectional hypothesis does not specify the direction of the potentially observed effect, only that there is a relationship between the studied variables—this is called a two-tailed hypothesis. For instance, if you are studying a new drug that has shown some effects on pathways involved in a certain condition (e.g., anxiety) in vitro in the lab, but you can’t say for sure whether it will have the same effects in an animal model or maybe induce other/side effects that you can’t predict and potentially increase anxiety levels instead, you could state the two hypotheses like this:

H1: The only lab-tested drug (somehow) affects anxiety levels in an anxiety mouse model.

You then test this nondirectional alternative hypothesis against the null hypothesis:

H0: The only lab-tested drug has no effect on anxiety levels in an anxiety mouse model.

How to Write a Hypothesis for a Research Paper

Now that we understand the important distinctions between different kinds of research hypotheses, let’s look at a simple process of how to write a hypothesis.

Writing a Hypothesis Step:1

Ask a question, based on earlier research. Research always starts with a question, but one that takes into account what is already known about a topic or phenomenon. For example, if you are interested in whether people who have pets are happier than those who don’t, do a literature search and find out what has already been demonstrated. You will probably realize that yes, there is quite a bit of research that shows a relationship between happiness and owning a pet—and even studies that show that owning a dog is more beneficial than owning a cat ! Let’s say you are so intrigued by this finding that you wonder: 

What is it that makes dog owners even happier than cat owners? 

Let’s move on to Step 2 and find an answer to that question.

Writing a Hypothesis Step 2:

Formulate a strong hypothesis by answering your own question. Again, you don’t want to make things up, take unicorns into account, or repeat/ignore what has already been done. Looking at the dog-vs-cat papers your literature search returned, you see that most studies are based on self-report questionnaires on personality traits, mental health, and life satisfaction. What you don’t find is any data on actual (mental or physical) health measures, and no experiments. You therefore decide to make a bold claim come up with the carefully thought-through hypothesis that it’s maybe the lifestyle of the dog owners, which includes walking their dog several times per day, engaging in fun and healthy activities such as agility competitions, and taking them on trips, that gives them that extra boost in happiness. You could therefore answer your question in the following way:

Dog owners are happier than cat owners because of the dog-related activities they engage in.

Now you have to verify that your hypothesis fulfills the two requirements we introduced at the beginning of this resource article: falsifiability and testability . If it can’t be wrong and can’t be tested, it’s not a hypothesis. We are lucky, however, because yes, we can test whether owning a dog but not engaging in any of those activities leads to lower levels of happiness or well-being than owning a dog and playing and running around with them or taking them on trips.  

Writing a Hypothesis Step 3:

Make your predictions and define your variables. We have verified that we can test our hypothesis, but now we have to define all the relevant variables, design our experiment or data analysis, and make precise predictions. You could, for example, decide to study dog owners (not surprising at this point), let them fill in questionnaires about their lifestyle as well as their life satisfaction (as other studies did), and then compare two groups of active and inactive dog owners. Alternatively, if you want to go beyond the data that earlier studies produced and analyzed and directly manipulate the activity level of your dog owners to study the effect of that manipulation, you could invite them to your lab, select groups of participants with similar lifestyles, make them change their lifestyle (e.g., couch potato dog owners start agility classes, very active ones have to refrain from any fun activities for a certain period of time) and assess their happiness levels before and after the intervention. In both cases, your independent variable would be “ level of engagement in fun activities with dog” and your dependent variable would be happiness or well-being . 

Examples of a Good and Bad Hypothesis

Let’s look at a few examples of good and bad hypotheses to get you started.

Good Hypothesis Examples

Bad hypothesis examples, tips for writing a research hypothesis.

If you understood the distinction between a hypothesis and a prediction we made at the beginning of this article, then you will have no problem formulating your hypotheses and predictions correctly. To refresh your memory: We have to (1) look at existing evidence, (2) come up with a hypothesis, (3) make a prediction, and (4) design an experiment. For example, you could summarize your dog/happiness study like this:

(1) While research suggests that dog owners are happier than cat owners, there are no reports on what factors drive this difference. (2) We hypothesized that it is the fun activities that many dog owners (but very few cat owners) engage in with their pets that increases their happiness levels. (3) We thus predicted that preventing very active dog owners from engaging in such activities for some time and making very inactive dog owners take up such activities would lead to an increase and decrease in their overall self-ratings of happiness, respectively. (4) To test this, we invited dog owners into our lab, assessed their mental and emotional well-being through questionnaires, and then assigned them to an “active” and an “inactive” group, depending on… 

Note that you use “we hypothesize” only for your hypothesis, not for your experimental prediction, and “would” or “if – then” only for your prediction, not your hypothesis. A hypothesis that states that something “would” affect something else sounds as if you don’t have enough confidence to make a clear statement—in which case you can’t expect your readers to believe in your research either. Write in the present tense, don’t use modal verbs that express varying degrees of certainty (such as may, might, or could ), and remember that you are not drawing a conclusion while trying not to exaggerate but making a clear statement that you then, in a way, try to disprove . And if that happens, that is not something to fear but an important part of the scientific process.

Similarly, don’t use “we hypothesize” when you explain the implications of your research or make predictions in the conclusion section of your manuscript, since these are clearly not hypotheses in the true sense of the word. As we said earlier, you will find that many authors of academic articles do not seem to care too much about these rather subtle distinctions, but thinking very clearly about your own research will not only help you write better but also ensure that even that infamous Reviewer 2 will find fewer reasons to nitpick about your manuscript. 

Perfect Your Manuscript With Professional Editing

Now that you know how to write a strong research hypothesis for your research paper, you might be interested in our free AI proofreader , Wordvice AI, which finds and fixes errors in grammar, punctuation, and word choice in academic texts. Or if you are interested in human proofreading , check out our English editing services , including research paper editing and manuscript editing .

On the Wordvice academic resources website , you can also find many more articles and other resources that can help you with writing the other parts of your research paper , with making a research paper outline before you put everything together, or with writing an effective cover letter once you are ready to submit.

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How to Write a Great Hypothesis

Hypothesis Format, Examples, and Tips

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Verywell / Alex Dos Diaz

• The Scientific Method

Hypothesis Format

Falsifiability of a hypothesis, operational definitions, types of hypotheses, hypotheses examples.

• Collecting Data

Frequently Asked Questions

A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more  variables. It is a specific, testable prediction about what you expect to happen in a study.

One hypothesis example would be a study designed to look at the relationship between sleep deprivation and test performance might have a hypothesis that states: "This study is designed to assess the hypothesis that sleep-deprived people will perform worse on a test than individuals who are not sleep-deprived."

This article explores how a hypothesis is used in psychology research, how to write a good hypothesis, and the different types of hypotheses you might use.

The Hypothesis in the Scientific Method

In the scientific method , whether it involves research in psychology, biology, or some other area, a hypothesis represents what the researchers think will happen in an experiment. The scientific method involves the following steps:

• Forming a question
• Performing background research
• Creating a hypothesis
• Designing an experiment
• Collecting data
• Analyzing the results
• Drawing conclusions
• Communicating the results

The hypothesis is a prediction, but it involves more than a guess. Most of the time, the hypothesis begins with a question which is then explored through background research. It is only at this point that researchers begin to develop a testable hypothesis. Unless you are creating an exploratory study, your hypothesis should always explain what you  expect  to happen.

In a study exploring the effects of a particular drug, the hypothesis might be that researchers expect the drug to have some type of effect on the symptoms of a specific illness. In psychology, the hypothesis might focus on how a certain aspect of the environment might influence a particular behavior.

Remember, a hypothesis does not have to be correct. While the hypothesis predicts what the researchers expect to see, the goal of the research is to determine whether this guess is right or wrong. When conducting an experiment, researchers might explore a number of factors to determine which ones might contribute to the ultimate outcome.

In many cases, researchers may find that the results of an experiment  do not  support the original hypothesis. When writing up these results, the researchers might suggest other options that should be explored in future studies.

In many cases, researchers might draw a hypothesis from a specific theory or build on previous research. For example, prior research has shown that stress can impact the immune system. So a researcher might hypothesize: "People with high-stress levels will be more likely to contract a common cold after being exposed to the virus than people who have low-stress levels."

In other instances, researchers might look at commonly held beliefs or folk wisdom. "Birds of a feather flock together" is one example of folk wisdom that a psychologist might try to investigate. The researcher might pose a specific hypothesis that "People tend to select romantic partners who are similar to them in interests and educational level."

Elements of a Good Hypothesis

So how do you write a good hypothesis? When trying to come up with a hypothesis for your research or experiments, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is your hypothesis based on your research on a topic?
• Can your hypothesis be tested?
• Does your hypothesis include independent and dependent variables?

Before you come up with a specific hypothesis, spend some time doing background research. Once you have completed a literature review, start thinking about potential questions you still have. Pay attention to the discussion section in the  journal articles you read . Many authors will suggest questions that still need to be explored.

To form a hypothesis, you should take these steps:

• Collect as many observations about a topic or problem as you can.
• Evaluate these observations and look for possible causes of the problem.
• Create a list of possible explanations that you might want to explore.
• After you have developed some possible hypotheses, think of ways that you could confirm or disprove each hypothesis through experimentation. This is known as falsifiability.

In the scientific method ,  falsifiability is an important part of any valid hypothesis.   In order to test a claim scientifically, it must be possible that the claim could be proven false.

Students sometimes confuse the idea of falsifiability with the idea that it means that something is false, which is not the case. What falsifiability means is that  if  something was false, then it is possible to demonstrate that it is false.

One of the hallmarks of pseudoscience is that it makes claims that cannot be refuted or proven false.

A variable is a factor or element that can be changed and manipulated in ways that are observable and measurable. However, the researcher must also define how the variable will be manipulated and measured in the study.

For example, a researcher might operationally define the variable " test anxiety " as the results of a self-report measure of anxiety experienced during an exam. A "study habits" variable might be defined by the amount of studying that actually occurs as measured by time.

These precise descriptions are important because many things can be measured in a number of different ways. One of the basic principles of any type of scientific research is that the results must be replicable.   By clearly detailing the specifics of how the variables were measured and manipulated, other researchers can better understand the results and repeat the study if needed.

Some variables are more difficult than others to define. How would you operationally define a variable such as aggression ? For obvious ethical reasons, researchers cannot create a situation in which a person behaves aggressively toward others.

In order to measure this variable, the researcher must devise a measurement that assesses aggressive behavior without harming other people. In this situation, the researcher might utilize a simulated task to measure aggressiveness.

Hypothesis Checklist

• Does your hypothesis focus on something that you can actually test?
• Does your hypothesis include both an independent and dependent variable?
• Can you manipulate the variables?
• Can your hypothesis be tested without violating ethical standards?

The hypothesis you use will depend on what you are investigating and hoping to find. Some of the main types of hypotheses that you might use include:

• Simple hypothesis : This type of hypothesis suggests that there is a relationship between one independent variable and one dependent variable.
• Complex hypothesis : This type of hypothesis suggests a relationship between three or more variables, such as two independent variables and a dependent variable.
• Null hypothesis : This hypothesis suggests no relationship exists between two or more variables.
• Alternative hypothesis : This hypothesis states the opposite of the null hypothesis.
• Statistical hypothesis : This hypothesis uses statistical analysis to evaluate a representative sample of the population and then generalizes the findings to the larger group.
• Logical hypothesis : This hypothesis assumes a relationship between variables without collecting data or evidence.

A hypothesis often follows a basic format of "If {this happens} then {this will happen}." One way to structure your hypothesis is to describe what will happen to the  dependent variable  if you change the  independent variable .

The basic format might be: "If {these changes are made to a certain independent variable}, then we will observe {a change in a specific dependent variable}."

A few examples of simple hypotheses:

• "Students who eat breakfast will perform better on a math exam than students who do not eat breakfast."
• Complex hypothesis: "Students who experience test anxiety before an English exam will get lower scores than students who do not experience test anxiety."​
• "Motorists who talk on the phone while driving will be more likely to make errors on a driving course than those who do not talk on the phone."

Examples of a complex hypothesis include:

• "People with high-sugar diets and sedentary activity levels are more likely to develop depression."
• "Younger people who are regularly exposed to green, outdoor areas have better subjective well-being than older adults who have limited exposure to green spaces."

Examples of a null hypothesis include:

• "Children who receive a new reading intervention will have scores different than students who do not receive the intervention."
• "There will be no difference in scores on a memory recall task between children and adults."

Examples of an alternative hypothesis:

• "Children who receive a new reading intervention will perform better than students who did not receive the intervention."
• "Adults will perform better on a memory task than children." 

Collecting Data on Your Hypothesis

Once a researcher has formed a testable hypothesis, the next step is to select a research design and start collecting data. The research method depends largely on exactly what they are studying. There are two basic types of research methods: descriptive research and experimental research.

Descriptive Research Methods

Descriptive research such as  case studies ,  naturalistic observations , and surveys are often used when it would be impossible or difficult to  conduct an experiment . These methods are best used to describe different aspects of a behavior or psychological phenomenon.

Once a researcher has collected data using descriptive methods, a correlational study can then be used to look at how the variables are related. This type of research method might be used to investigate a hypothesis that is difficult to test experimentally.

Experimental Research Methods

Experimental methods  are used to demonstrate causal relationships between variables. In an experiment, the researcher systematically manipulates a variable of interest (known as the independent variable) and measures the effect on another variable (known as the dependent variable).

Unlike correlational studies, which can only be used to determine if there is a relationship between two variables, experimental methods can be used to determine the actual nature of the relationship—whether changes in one variable actually  cause  another to change.

A Word From Verywell

The hypothesis is a critical part of any scientific exploration. It represents what researchers expect to find in a study or experiment. In situations where the hypothesis is unsupported by the research, the research still has value. Such research helps us better understand how different aspects of the natural world relate to one another. It also helps us develop new hypotheses that can then be tested in the future.

Some examples of how to write a hypothesis include:

• "Staying up late will lead to worse test performance the next day."
• "People who consume one apple each day will visit the doctor fewer times each year."
• "Breaking study sessions up into three 20-minute sessions will lead to better test results than a single 60-minute study session."

The four parts of a hypothesis are:

• The research question
• The independent variable (IV)
• The dependent variable (DV)
• The proposed relationship between the IV and DV

Castillo M. The scientific method: a need for something better? . AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2013;34(9):1669-71. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A3401

Nevid J. Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Wadworth, 2013.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

History Hypothesis Generator

If you’re searching for a hypothesis generator, you’re in the right place! With this free online tool, you’ll easily make a hypothesis from a question or from scratch.

Need a hypothesis for your history paper? This automatic hypothesis generator will save your time and nerves! Follow these 3 steps:

• ❓ Definitions
• 💡 What’s This Tool?

🔬 How to Generate a Hypothesis from a Question?

• ✅ Characteristics
• ✍️ Examples

🔗 References

❓ hypothesis in history: definitions.

In high school or college, you might need to develop a historical hypothesis for your academic paper or any other project. In the sections below, we have explained what it means for this subject.

What Is a Hypothesis?

A hypothesis is a statement or proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For it to be scientific, researchers should be able to test it.

The words “hypothesis” and “ theory ” are often used interchangeably. However, they are not the same. In exact science, a hypothesis needs to be provable to become a theory. In the non-scientific environment, the word is used more loosely.

What about a Hypothesis in History?

A historical hypothesis consists of:

• Attitudes that demonstrate relations between variables.

It is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon different from recorded facts , which is useful when:

• the existing evidence is limited,
• no recognized historical methodology is available,
• or researchers want to examine a specific aspect of a historical event.

A reasonable hypothesis should give a straightforward answer with substantial explanatory power . If you also need a unique idea to write about, check our list of history topics .

Hypothesis vs. Theory

💡 hypothesis maker: what it is.

An automatic hypothesis generator is a tool that can save you time and energy. It uses advanced AI technology to create an appropriate assumption:

• The generator analyzes the variables you have input into the cycle.
• Then, it formulates the relations between them.
• Finally, it generates a hypothesis that you can use for your paper.

Our history hypothesis generator is a straightforward tool. You can use it whenever you need help inventing or wording your idea. It’s free and available all the time!

At a particular stage of your research, you will need to generate a hypothesis from a research question. A hypothesis is a statement that you will further test.

To do that, you need to take five steps:

• Define independent and dependent variables.
• Brainstorm ideas to explain the question.
• Choose the most convincing explanation.
• Formulate a statement based on this explanation.
• Check if the claim is testable in a scientific study.

✅ How to Make a Good Hypothesis in History

So that you don’t get confused when developing your historical hypothesis, let’s see what characteristics a successful one should obtain:

✍️ History Hypothesis Maker: Examples

So, you’ve read about the characteristics of a good hypothesis in history. Now you may be wondering what one actually looks like. In this section, we have listed some examples based on sample academic papers .

Italian industrial capacities were underutilized, while other Axis partners exploited their capabilities. Such countries as Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia even granted loans to Nazi Germany. The WWII could have ended differently if German-Italian cooperation had been more efficient.

People from dominant racial groups deny racism because they are ignorant of human history. At the same time, minorities see the issue differently. They are aware of the records and experience systemic racism in the present.

Islamic Art has features distinctive from the Platonic influence on Islamic thought. Thus, there is a philosophical explanation of why it follows the principles of order and harmony.

The world ignored the Korean crisis in 1948 due to the situation in Germany and the deterioration of Soviet-American relations.

Thanks for reading!

If you’re working on a history paper, try out our automatic hypothesis generator. It will come up with great ideas and save you a lot of time. Use our tips and examples to make your paper and research better. Besides, share it with other students who may need our advice.

Updated: Apr 5th, 2024

• Hypothesis-Based Research | Michigan Tech
• A Brief Guide to Writing a History Paper | Harvard College
• Hypothesis Formulation | Boston University
• Developing a Hypothesis | Pressbooks

You can Choose category

Null Hypothesis Generator with Examples

Fill in the fields to get a hypothesis

Add above the person or phenomenon you are focusing on in your study.

Add above the activity or characteristic of your research group). Start with a verb correlating with your subject.

Add above the thing that you are going to measure in your study.

Add above the person or phenomenon you are comparing with your research group.

Add here the effect of the predicate on the dependent variable.

Show Example

Are you looking for a free null hypothesis generator? Writing a hypothesis is important in academic writing since it shows the direction of your research paper. Don’t stress yourself with endless research hours; try our efficient hypothesis generator and get instant results. It is free, simple, and accessible online for students at any academic level. You can formulate a correct hypothesis within minutes, regardless of your paper’s complexity.

• 🤖 How to Use the Tool
• 🧩 What Is a Null Hypothesis

❌ How to Reject a Null Hypothesis

• ❗ References

🤖 Null Hypothesis Generator: How to Use It

A null hypothesis generator is simple to use. You no longer have to write wrong hypotheses because this generator provides accurate results for your research project.

You have to add correct information about your research paper in the provided fields below:

• The subject of your research or experimental group – who or what.
• What the subject or group does – independent variable .
• The measured thing – dependent variable .
• The result.
• The control group (optional).

After filling out the above fields, you can click on the button, and the system will generate results. Ensure you provide accurate information to get relevant results that align with your research question .

🧩 What Is a Null Hypothesis & Why Is It Important?

A null hypothesis is a statement that claims there is no relationship between a dependent and independent variable . The hypothesis is not supposed to show any connection; if it does, the research could have a sampling or experimental error. Thus, a false null hypothesis shows a relationship in the measured observation.

The null hypothesis is vital in research since it determines whether two measured observation subjects are related. It also lets the user know if the outcome is a product of chance or manipulation. However, the hypothesis must be tested to evaluate if it is true or false. The test determines if the null hypothesis should be accepted or rejected.

Researchers often use 2 strategies to test a null hypothesis:

• Significance testing;
• Hypothesis testing.

Both approaches are distinguished based on the observed data. Thus, a null hypothesis is important in research since it will reveal the direction of your essay.

👀 Null Hypothesis Examples

To formulate a null hypothesis, you must drive your statement from a question. Rewrite that question in a different format that presumes there is no relationship between the subjects of observation.

Here are examples of a null hypothesis.

When formulating a null hypothesis, you should always assume that the variables have no relationship. Always start with a question if you want to create a good null hypothesis that reflects your research.

When testing the null hypothesis, the p-value is important in determining the outcome of the observed variables. The p-value in statistics is a number that is calculated from a test. It illustrates the probability of getting the results if the null hypothesis is true.

In short, this value helps researchers decide whether the null hypothesis will be rejected .

Understanding the aspects that lead to the rejection of null hypothesis is essential. The entire process is vital in data analysis , interpretation, and calculations. Besides, you will be able to improve your analytical and research skills in different industries.

Therefore, rejecting a null hypothesis is possible if you follow the falsifiability principle .

What does it mean?

It means that a hypothesis may be regarded as scientifically valid only if it can be tested and proved or disproved based on the resulting data. Therefore, both null and alternative hypotheses should be falsifiable to inform a scholarly inquiry.

So, you must first establish the null hypothesis before testing.

Follow the 4 steps below:

• Establish the hypothesis;
• Create an experimental outline to test the null hypothesis;
• Perform the experiments;
• Interpret the outcome of the investigation.

There are some factors involved when it comes to rejecting a null hypothesis. The p-value is used as an indicator to reject the hypothesis if it is less or equal to the significance level. This level reveals the difference between the test outcome and the null hypothesis.

Therefore, you can use our null hypothesis maker to simplify your work and generate accurate results. Whether you are working on a biology research paper or a statistics paper, understanding how to identify and reject a null hypothesis is important.

We hope the tool and the information were helpful. You are welcome to try our other online writing apps to quickly polish your psychology essay.

❓ Null Hypothesis Generator FAQ

❓ what is a null hypothesis.

A null hypothesis is a statement that claims there is no relationship between independent and independent variables. It is usually based on insufficient evidence that needs more testing to prove if the observed information is true or false.

❓ How to write a null hypothesis?

Writing a null hypothesis requires you to ask a question. You need to rephrase the question in a form that makes no assumptions about the connection between the variables. Formulate the null hypotheses to show the treatment is ineffective.

❓ What does it mean to reject the null hypothesis?

A null hypothesis states that no difference exists between a set of groups. It means that the dependent variable doesn’t have a substantial impact effect on the independent variable. When researchers reject a null hypothesis, they have proven the alternative hypothesis. So, the final result shows there is a relationship between the variables.

❓ What is a null hypothesis example?

An example of a null hypothesis can start with this question: Are adults better at music than children? The null hypothesis, in this case, will state that age doesn’t affect musical ability. Thus, there is no relationship between music and a person’s age.

🔗 References

• Hypothesis Definition & Examples - Simply Psychology
• Hypothesis - APA Dictionary of Psychology
• Why Are Statistics Necessary in Psychology? - Verywell Mind
• Scientific Inquiry Definition: How the Scientific Method Works
• Karl Popper Life & Theory of Falsification - Study.com

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• Knowledge Base
• Research paper

Writing a Research Paper Introduction | Step-by-Step Guide

Published on September 24, 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on March 27, 2023.

The introduction to a research paper is where you set up your topic and approach for the reader. It has several key goals:

• Present your topic and get the reader interested
• Provide background or summarize existing research
• Position your own approach
• Detail your specific research problem and problem statement
• Give an overview of the paper’s structure

The introduction looks slightly different depending on whether your paper presents the results of original empirical research or constructs an argument by engaging with a variety of sources.

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Table of contents

Step 1: introduce your topic, step 2: describe the background, step 3: establish your research problem, step 4: specify your objective(s), step 5: map out your paper, research paper introduction examples, frequently asked questions about the research paper introduction.

The first job of the introduction is to tell the reader what your topic is and why it’s interesting or important. This is generally accomplished with a strong opening hook.

The hook is a striking opening sentence that clearly conveys the relevance of your topic. Think of an interesting fact or statistic, a strong statement, a question, or a brief anecdote that will get the reader wondering about your topic.

For example, the following could be an effective hook for an argumentative paper about the environmental impact of cattle farming:

A more empirical paper investigating the relationship of Instagram use with body image issues in adolescent girls might use the following hook:

Don’t feel that your hook necessarily has to be deeply impressive or creative. Clarity and relevance are still more important than catchiness. The key thing is to guide the reader into your topic and situate your ideas.

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This part of the introduction differs depending on what approach your paper is taking.

In a more argumentative paper, you’ll explore some general background here. In a more empirical paper, this is the place to review previous research and establish how yours fits in.

Argumentative paper: Background information

After you’ve caught your reader’s attention, specify a bit more, providing context and narrowing down your topic.

Provide only the most relevant background information. The introduction isn’t the place to get too in-depth; if more background is essential to your paper, it can appear in the body .

Empirical paper: Describing previous research

For a paper describing original research, you’ll instead provide an overview of the most relevant research that has already been conducted. This is a sort of miniature literature review —a sketch of the current state of research into your topic, boiled down to a few sentences.

This should be informed by genuine engagement with the literature. Your search can be less extensive than in a full literature review, but a clear sense of the relevant research is crucial to inform your own work.

Begin by establishing the kinds of research that have been done, and end with limitations or gaps in the research that you intend to respond to.

The next step is to clarify how your own research fits in and what problem it addresses.

Argumentative paper: Emphasize importance

In an argumentative research paper, you can simply state the problem you intend to discuss, and what is original or important about your argument.

Empirical paper: Relate to the literature

In an empirical research paper, try to lead into the problem on the basis of your discussion of the literature. Think in terms of these questions:

• What research gap is your work intended to fill?
• What limitations in previous work does it address?
• What contribution to knowledge does it make?

You can make the connection between your problem and the existing research using phrases like the following.

Now you’ll get into the specifics of what you intend to find out or express in your research paper.

The way you frame your research objectives varies. An argumentative paper presents a thesis statement, while an empirical paper generally poses a research question (sometimes with a hypothesis as to the answer).

Argumentative paper: Thesis statement

The thesis statement expresses the position that the rest of the paper will present evidence and arguments for. It can be presented in one or two sentences, and should state your position clearly and directly, without providing specific arguments for it at this point.

Empirical paper: Research question and hypothesis

The research question is the question you want to answer in an empirical research paper.

Present your research question clearly and directly, with a minimum of discussion at this point. The rest of the paper will be taken up with discussing and investigating this question; here you just need to express it.

A research question can be framed either directly or indirectly.

• This study set out to answer the following question: What effects does daily use of Instagram have on the prevalence of body image issues among adolescent girls?
• We investigated the effects of daily Instagram use on the prevalence of body image issues among adolescent girls.

If your research involved testing hypotheses , these should be stated along with your research question. They are usually presented in the past tense, since the hypothesis will already have been tested by the time you are writing up your paper.

For example, the following hypothesis might respond to the research question above:

The final part of the introduction is often dedicated to a brief overview of the rest of the paper.

In a paper structured using the standard scientific “introduction, methods, results, discussion” format, this isn’t always necessary. But if your paper is structured in a less predictable way, it’s important to describe the shape of it for the reader.

If included, the overview should be concise, direct, and written in the present tense.

• This paper will first discuss several examples of survey-based research into adolescent social media use, then will go on to …
• This paper first discusses several examples of survey-based research into adolescent social media use, then goes on to …

Full examples of research paper introductions are shown in the tabs below: one for an argumentative paper, the other for an empirical paper.

• Argumentative paper
• Empirical paper

Are cows responsible for climate change? A recent study (RIVM, 2019) shows that cattle farmers account for two thirds of agricultural nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands. These emissions result from nitrogen in manure, which can degrade into ammonia and enter the atmosphere. The study’s calculations show that agriculture is the main source of nitrogen pollution, accounting for 46% of the country’s total emissions. By comparison, road traffic and households are responsible for 6.1% each, the industrial sector for 1%. While efforts are being made to mitigate these emissions, policymakers are reluctant to reckon with the scale of the problem. The approach presented here is a radical one, but commensurate with the issue. This paper argues that the Dutch government must stimulate and subsidize livestock farmers, especially cattle farmers, to transition to sustainable vegetable farming. It first establishes the inadequacy of current mitigation measures, then discusses the various advantages of the results proposed, and finally addresses potential objections to the plan on economic grounds.

The rise of social media has been accompanied by a sharp increase in the prevalence of body image issues among women and girls. This correlation has received significant academic attention: Various empirical studies have been conducted into Facebook usage among adolescent girls (Tiggermann & Slater, 2013; Meier & Gray, 2014). These studies have consistently found that the visual and interactive aspects of the platform have the greatest influence on body image issues. Despite this, highly visual social media (HVSM) such as Instagram have yet to be robustly researched. This paper sets out to address this research gap. We investigated the effects of daily Instagram use on the prevalence of body image issues among adolescent girls. It was hypothesized that daily Instagram use would be associated with an increase in body image concerns and a decrease in self-esteem ratings.

The introduction of a research paper includes several key elements:

• A hook to catch the reader’s interest
• Relevant background on the topic
• Details of your research problem

and your problem statement

• A thesis statement or research question
• Sometimes an overview of the paper

Don’t feel that you have to write the introduction first. The introduction is often one of the last parts of the research paper you’ll write, along with the conclusion.

This is because it can be easier to introduce your paper once you’ve already written the body ; you may not have the clearest idea of your arguments until you’ve written them, and things can change during the writing process .

The way you present your research problem in your introduction varies depending on the nature of your research paper . A research paper that presents a sustained argument will usually encapsulate this argument in a thesis statement .

A research paper designed to present the results of empirical research tends to present a research question that it seeks to answer. It may also include a hypothesis —a prediction that will be confirmed or disproved by your research.

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Machine Learning as a Tool for Hypothesis Generation

While hypothesis testing is a highly formalized activity, hypothesis generation remains largely informal. We propose a procedure that uses machine learning algorithms—and their capacity to notice patterns people might not—to generate novel hypotheses about human behavior. We illustrate the procedure with a concrete application: judge decisions. We begin with a striking fact: up to half of the predictable variation in who judges jail is explained solely by the pixels in the defendant’s mugshot—that is, the predictions from an algorithm built using just facial images. We develop a procedure that allows human subjects to interact with this black-box algorithm to produce hypotheses about what in the face influences judge decisions. The procedure generates hypotheses that are both interpretable and novel: They are not explained by factors implied by existing research (demographics, facial features emphasized by previous psychology studies), nor are they already known (even if just tacitly) to people or even experts. Though these results are specific, our procedure is general. It provides a way to produce novel, interpretable hypotheses from any high-dimensional dataset (e.g. cell phones, satellites, online behavior, news headlines, corporate filings, and high-frequency time series). A central tenet of our paper is that hypothesis generation is in and of itself a valuable activity, and hope this encourages future work in this largely “pre-scientific” stage of science.

More Research From These Scholars

Body-worn cameras in policing: benefits and costs, policing and management, not too late: improving academic outcomes among adolescents.