However, there are some important things to consider when building a compelling hypothesis.

Upon analysis of the results, a hypothesis can be rejected or modified, but it can never be proven to be correct 100 percent of the time. For example, relativity has been tested many times, so it is generally accepted as true, but there could be an instance, which has not been encountered, where it is not true.

Start by understanding just what a hypothesis is! Generally used in quantitative research studies, it’s an educated guess or prediction about the relationship between two variables. It must be a testable statement… something that you can support or falsify with observable evidence.

1. State the problem that you are trying to solve. Make sure that the hypothesis clearly defines the topic and the focus of the experiment.
2. Try to write the hypothesis as an if-then statement.
3. Define the variables.

1. Step 1: Specify the Null Hypothesis.
2. Step 2: Specify the Alternative Hypothesis.
3. Step 3: Set the Significance Level (a)
4. Step 4: Calculate the Test Statistic and Corresponding P-Value.
5. Step 5: Drawing a Conclusion.

Developing a hypothesis

1. Ask a question. Writing a hypothesis begins with a research question that you want to answer.
2. Do some preliminary research.
3. Formulate your hypothesis.
4. Refine your hypothesis.
5. Phrase your hypothesis in three ways.
6. Write a null hypothesis.

20 words

Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment You conduct a fair test by making sure that you change only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same. You should also repeat your experiments several times to make sure that the first results weren’t just an accident.

A hypothesis is an educated guess and is a minimum of two sentences. Do not use the words “I think”. The hypothesis can be written using the “If . . . then . . .” format. Include a second sentence using background information to support your hypothesis.

A conditional statement (also called an If-Then Statement) is a statement with a hypothesis followed by a conclusion. The hypothesis is the first, or “if,” part of a conditional statement. The conclusion is the second, or “then,” part of a conditional statement. The conclusion is the result of a hypothesis.

The prediction is a statement of the expected results of the experiment based on the hypothesis. The prediction is often an “if/then statement.” For example: If increasing fertilizer increases number of beans, then coffee bean plants treated with more fertilizer will have more beans.

BECAUSE…” An “If… then… because” statement in a hypothesis tells the readers what you believe will happen in an investigation when something is changed, so you can see the effect of the change.

Examples of Hypothesis:

• If I replace the battery in my car, then my car will get better gas mileage.
• If I eat more vegetables, then I will lose weight faster.
• If I add fertilizer to my garden, then my plants will grow faster.
• If I brush my teeth every day, then I will not develop cavities.

Examples of Hypotheses 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 make changes to the independent variable.

If the initial hypothesis is not supported, you can go back to the drawing board and hypothesize a new answer to the question and a new way to test it. If your hypothesis is supported, you might think of ways to refine your hypothesis and test those.

While a hypothesis can be partially confirmed by showing that what is deduced from it with certain initial conditions is actually found under those conditions, it cannot be completely proved in this way.

present tense

To describe your methodology and report your results. At the time you are writing your report, thesis, dissertation or article, you have already completed your study, so you should use past tense in your methodology section to record what you did, and in your results section to report what you found.

Use the past tense to report what happened in the past: what you did, what someone reported, what happened in an experiment, and so on. Use the present tense to express general truths, such as conclusions (drawn by you or by others) and atemporal facts (including information about what the paper does or covers).