How to Write a Hypothesis Statement

Though you may not know, you naturally hypothesize about things all the time. A hypothesis is a logical conjecture made to explain any phenomenon or event, that we observe around us or to establish a connection made between two apparently disconnected events.

Putting up a hypothesis is the second step in the scientific method of inquiry, wherein you have observed a phenomenon or event and have come up with a 'possible explanation' for 'how' and 'why' it may have happened.

This hypothesis needs to be stated very clearly and unambiguously so that its verification becomes simpler. If you are planning to conduct an experiment to verify a phenomenon, the first step in its designing is to come up with a hypothesis.

First of all, a hypothesis statement needs to be logically sound and precise. Through the statement, you have to put forward a possible explanation that can address the central question in your topic of research.

Secondly, it cannot just hang in the air. It is a prerequisite, that a hypothesis be 'testable' or 'verifiable'. This is extremely essential. It's essential that you include a testable prediction, based on the possible explanation in the hypothesis.

'Precise, logical and testable' - these are the three things that you need to remember, when writing the statement. Of course, you need to have already studied and thought about your research problem in advance, to be able to come up with it.

All hypotheses statements are 'if's', which need to have a 'then' part, that is testable through experiment. Start with an 'If' and provide your hypothesis, followed by a 'then', which details a testable possibility.

Once you have defined it, you can move over to designing and conducting your experiment. It will be simpler to understand, if you take a look at the examples presented here.

Coming up with a hypothesis and verifying it is the process through which, scientific tempered people piece together reality. As we go through life, we take hypotheses to be theories, based on faith, but that is not how the scientific method works. It only accepts a hypothesis, if facts support it. Here are some examples:

If rising carbon dioxide levels are causing global warming, then there should be a directly observable correlation between carbon dioxide content in atmosphere and world temperature variations.

If friction slows down motion, then a rolled ball on a rough surface must eventually come to a halt.

If Mars has life, then there must be indirect indicators or signatures of its presence on its surface, which can be discovered by surface rovers.

Hypothesizing is not limited to the scientific field. It is a logical solution to any problem that you may face in your life. Once your hypothesis statement is ready, your real work begins. You can start experimenting and making observations to verify it. After it's verified, we can elevate it to the status of an established theory.