How to Write a Hypothesis:
The entire experiment and research revolves around the
research hypothesis (H1) and the null hypothesis (H0), so making a mistake here
could ruin the whole design.
Needless to say, it can all be a little intimidating, and
many students find this to be the most difficult stage of the scientific
method.
In fact, it is not as difficult as it looks, and if you have
followed the steps of the scientific process and found an area of research and
potential research problem, then you may already have a few ideas.
It is just about making sure that you are asking the right
questions and wording your hypothesis statements correctly.
The Three-Step Process:
Often, it is still quite difficult to isolate a testable
hypothesis after all of the research and study. The best way is to adopt a
three-step hypothesis; this will help you to narrow things down, and is the
most foolproof guide to how to write a hypothesis.
Step one is to think of a general hypothesis,
including everything that you have observed and reviewed during the information
gathering stage of any research design. This stage is often called developing
the research problem.
An Example of How to Write a Hypothesis
A worker on a fish-farm notices
that his trout seem to have more fish lice in the summer, when the water levels
are low, and wants to find out why. His research leads him to believe that the
amount of oxygen is the reason - fish that are oxygen stressed tend to be more
susceptible to disease and parasites.
He proposes a general hypothesis.
“Water levels affect the amount
of lice suffered by rainbow trout.”
This is a good general hypothesis, but it gives no guide to
how to design the research or experiment. The hypothesis must be refined to
give a little direction.
“Rainbow trout suffer more lice
when water levels are low.”
Now there is some directionality, but the hypothesis is not
really testable, so the final stage is to design an experiment around which
research can be designed, a testable hypothesis.
“Rainbow trout suffer more lice
in low water conditions because there is less oxygen in the water.”
This is a testable hypothesis - he has established
variables, and by measuring the amount of oxygen in the water, eliminating
other controlled variables, such as temperature, he can see if there is a
correlation against the number of lice on the fish.
This is an example of how a gradual focusing of research
helps to define how to write a hypothesis.
The Next Stage - What to Do With the Hypothesis
Once you have your hypothesis, the next stage is to design
the experiment, allowing a statistical analysis of data, and allowing you to
test your hypothesis.
The statistical analysis will allow you to reject either the
null or the alternative hypothesis. If the alternative is rejected, then you
need to go back and refine the initial hypothesis or design a completely new
research program.
This is part of the scientific process, striving for greater
accuracy and developing ever more refined hypotheses.