No research paper is complete without a hypothesis. Students and undergraduates often have problems developing a hypothesis. This happens because the student does not know the basic requirements for the hypothesis, its functions, and stages of development. In this article, you will find answers to these questions. We tell you what a hypothesis is in a thesis or research paper, and how to create a hypothesis correctly.
What does hypothesis mean?
What is the hypothesis science definition? A hypothesis is an intended end result/suggestion of a scientific study that requires a theoretical/practical justification. Based on the hypothesis put forward, the author of the scientific project selects the necessary material for writing, draws up its structure, and formulates the course of future research.
What is a research hypothesis? The research hypothesis is a forecast of the result of the entire project, an assumption of what the final conclusion will be in the work. Consequently, the initial assumption, the hypothesis, is refuted or confirmed. Both results are of equal value.
The hypothesis of the thesis is the postulate on which all work is based. In the course of writing a thesis, the student should either find evidence of this hypothesis or its refutation.
The hypothesis: why is it needed?
A hypothesis in scientific work is the starting point. It is a hypothesis that determines the content, subject, goals, objectives and results of the study. It follows from this that the hypothesis connects all the elements of the research paper or thesis and sets the vector of its development. Therefore, the hypothesis is given a great deal of attention.
10 functions of a hypothesis
The meaning of the hypothesis is best revealed in its functions:
- Generalization of the final results after the observations/studies, their systematization/summation
- Interpretation of final generalizations
- Theoretical/practical substantiation of the previously put forward assumptions
- Planning for future research/experiments
- Summation/generalization of experiments or expansion of empirical data (compilation of empirical curves connecting observations, presented in the hypothesis format of points on the selected coordinate plane)
- Displaying the resulting deductive inference
- The direction of the nature of the study (provided that the hypotheses play the role of the object of study)
- Explaining the question, term, phenomenon in an accessible way
- Forming the concept, structure and intention of the research paper or thesis
- Launching possible scenarios for the development of events, updating questions
Basic requirements for a hypothesis
A hypothesis must meet certain requirements:
- Absence of acute contradiction. The hypothesis should be logically consistent.
- Strong connection with the topic, purpose, and objectives of the research paper or thesis.
- Clarity. A good hypothesis should be based on clear argumentation, and not on speculation and conjecture.
- A hypothesis is not a statement of fact. Therefore, a hypothesis cannot be an obvious truth and a generally accepted fact.
- Checkability. A correct hypothesis must be open to any verification: experimentally, indirectly, or by analogy.
The hypothesis is inextricably linked with the level of present data. For example, the fact that the earth rotates around its axis is not a hypothesis, but a fact. But there were times when even this statement was an assumption (hypothesis) and required proof.
Types of hypothesis
Hypothesis statement as a concept is most often used in logic. The distribution depends on their cognitive significance, so they are divided into two categories – primary (working) and scientific hypotheses.
Primary (working) hypothesis
The main purpose of this type is to determine the direction of the project, including its main tasks. This type of hypothesis is put forward with a low degree of study of the topic; therefore, it plays an auxiliary role in the classification/collection of material. The results of the study, obtained on the basis of a working hypothesis, are the basis for the formation of prerequisites when creating a scientific hypothesis. A working hypothesis is an assumption at the very beginning of the study, which structures the observations and gives them initial explanations. It is temporary and serves only to systematize the available factual material.
Scientific hypothesis
This type is formed in strict accordance with the theoretical basis. The author builds a reasoned logical relationship between the main phenomena, their properties and results. If experimental work is carried out in the project, the scientific hypothesis indicates the relationship between the independent and dependent quantities. A scientific hypothesis has a base of already accumulated scientific knowledge and facts. Based on it, you can develop a scientific theory and later translate the results into methods and technologies.
How to form a hypothesis
The correctness of the definition/formulation of the hypothesis is checked in one of two ways: conducting active experiments on the research topic or identifying a correlation between quantities of scientific interest for the selected industry. The data obtained are formalized and presented in a conclusion – this approach makes it easier to draw conclusions about the viability of the hypothesis.
How to start a hypothesis. There are four main stages in the hypothesis creation and its development – this is the selection of the required facts, the direct formulation, justification, and drawing up the final conclusion.
- Select the required facts
Before formulating/justifying the hypothesis, the author studies the necessary literary sources – this is “necessary” to collect the evidence/information base for future research. In the process of preparing the facts, the student determines the main problem and the degree of its development. When identifying “gaps,” or unresolved parts, it is necessary to place special emphasis on this in the hypothesis.
- Make a hypothesis based on the revealed facts
When compiling the text, it is important to take into account the solutions to the problem that exist at the current time. The author is recommended to postpone the final formulation of the hypothesis after writing the theoretical/practical part of the thesis, analyzing the selected aspects, and stating the problem.
- Substantiate the hypothesis
The task of the student is to prove or disprove the proposition put forward with arguments. For justification, it is recommended to use the results of the activity of the study subject, the developed action plan, or an assessment of the improvement of the proposed measures.
- Formulate the final conclusions
The researcher summarizes the results of the previous steps and reflects the final point of view – the applicability/inapplicability of the hypothesis put forward, and its role in achieving the goal/development of the scientific industry in the chosen direction.
When formulating a hypothesis, speech patterns that characterize the subjectivity of the student’s opinion should not be used, for example, “I admit,” “I suppose,” “I tend to believe that,” “I think,” etc. Recommended phrases include “should be expected,” “assumed,”and “if…then.”
Assumptions don’t come out of nowhere. After carrying out the necessary amount of research work, conversations with the supervisor, experiments – new information or a contradiction can be revealed. From this contradiction,the original judgment may be addressed. It can become a new solution to the problem in the text.
There are several basic methods for hypothesis formation:
- Brainstorming. It is used in the collective search for new ideas and solutions. Its essence lies in stimulating the creative activity of participants and identifying the largest number of solutions
- Association. It is the transformation of previously acquired knowledge
- Inversion. The problem is considered from a new side, which was not previously focused on
How to write a hypothesis
When you are writing a hypothesis for a thesis or research paper, it is important to comply with the following requirements:
- relate the hypothesis to the rest of the work. It should be logically connected with the object or phenomenon of research, as well as with the goal, task, and problems
- do not use vague language or obvious statements. Try to be specific
- in the formulation of the assumption, use the keywords of the project topic
- the judgment is based on existing knowledge or does not contradict it
- the hypothesis should not be taken as an absolute truth. The most correct solution will be the formulation of assumptions that require further justification and proof. To give subjectivity to the put forward assumption, you can use such constructions as “there is an assumption that …”, “it can be assumed that …,” etc.
It is permissible to write two hypotheses at once. One may be refuted and the other confirmed.
Templates
Scientific and methodological literature offers a set of the following hypothesis template formulations:
- Something affects something, if…
- It is assumed that the creation of something will be effective under some conditions.
- Something will be more successful if…
Also, to write a judgment, you can use constructions such as:
- “if…then…”
- “as…”,
- “provided that…”.
How to create a hypothesis taking account the main natures
There are three types of the nature of the hypothesis content – these are descriptive, explanatory, and theoretical natures.
Descriptive nature
This nature of hypotheses describes the workability of a process typical of empirical research with limitations on the functional relationship between impacts and their final results. A student can describe an assumption about the effectiveness of several new tools in comparison with previous experiments, but it is impossible to fully argue the point of view.
Explanatory nature
Hypotheses reveal the fundamental properties/true causes of the occurring phenomena with a clear argumentation of the possible consequences of their development/inactivity.
Theoretical nature
These hypotheses are based on the regularities of the put forward assumptions proved in the course of the experiments. To use this nature of hypotheses, it is necessary to use procedures that confirm the logical relationship between the existing conditions/factors.
How to work with a hypothesis
Throughout the entirety of a research paper, the hypothesis plays the role of a guide that directs the course of your research. It should be relied upon throughout the entire study of the chosen topic. Conventionally, work with the development of the initial judgment can be divided into 5 stages:
- Identification of resonant facts and assumptions in already known topics
- Formulation of a judgment based on these statements
- The study of the theory, the search for various opinions and statements, followed by analysis and citation
- Application of the found theory in practice: implementation of experiments, calculations, and preparation of infographics
- Refutation or confirmation of the hypothesis based on the knowledge gained
What makes a good hypothesis?
What makes a hypothesis good? What are its main features?
- Absence of vague formulations created with the help of incorrect or unspecified concepts.
- Availability of helpful tools capable of confirming the correctness or validity of the assertion made
- Direct relationship of the hypothesis with the object and subject of the study
- Cognitive efficiency for the scientific field/chosen topic of the project
- Absence of too many restrictions and assumptions
- Proper stylistics construction and clear logic
- It should not be too abstract or too obvious and banal
- It should correspond with already-known facts
- It can be tested in various ways
The main question for the correctness of the wording is “does the hypothesis need proof?”
How to state a hypothesis and identify errors beforehand?
- The presence of concepts in the wording that are not related to the main topic of the project
- You didn’t test the hypothesis with theoretical or empirical methods
- Lack of relationship with the key problem of the project
- The hypothesis has no theoretical,cognitive, or practical value for further research on the project topic
How to make a hypothesis using our guidelines
- When creating a hypothesis, use concise formulations that correspond to reality. You don’t have to write a large amount of text – it is enough to write 1-4 sentences.
- The goal of the hypothesis is to present a specific direction for further work, to make the author take certain actions.
- State the hypothesis essence in the introduction, after describing characteristics of the object or subject. In this way, you will set the goals and objectives correctly. You will choose suitable tools for your work more easily
Hypothesis examples in a research paper
Below are examples of hypotheses from real research papers. You can choose an example of a hypothesis in a research paper from below and use it as a template.
Direction: pedagogy.
Topic: Increasing the curiosity of children of primary school age.
Hypothesis example. It can be expected that the level of curiosity of younger students will increase with proper motivation on the part of the teaching staff and an increase in the interest of the teachers themselves in the educational process.
Direction: management.
Topic: Document flow in the organization.
Example of a hypothesis. It should be expected that with a deeper introduction of the latest computer technologies in a company, the level of organization of its document flow will significantly increase while bringing the number of losses of important documents to zero.
Direction: psychology.
Topic: Image of the future in the context of gender differences.
Research hypothesis example. It can be assumed that the image of the future personality has specific features depending on the gender identity of a person.
Direction: management
Topic: Motivation of the activities of managers.
Hypothesis statement example. It should be expected that the achievement of the highest level of the motivational area of managerial employees is closely related to the greatest success in their professional activities.
Direction: programming
Topic: Development of a Web site for the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology.
Hypothesis: The interaction of the teaching staff of the department “Pedagogy and Psychology” with students of the university will be most effective if the original website of the department is developed.
Direction: education
Topic: Personal and professional qualities of a teacher who teaches cultural studies
Hypothesis: It is assumed that the study specifies the main characteristics of the personal and professional qualities of a teacher who teaches cultural studies and reveals the common conditions for their formation.
Direction: business
Topic: The role of consulting in the company development
Hypothesis: It should be expected that in the sphere of consulting there is a package of success factors, the purposeful use of which helps to most effectively concentrate technical and financial resources on priority spheres for the company to quickly get a leading position in the market.
If you have any difficulties with the formation of a hypothesis or writing a paper in general, writing services can help. They stick to the deadlines so that clients receive their assignments on time.
