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How to Write a Hypothesis for a Research Paper

Published on: Jun 15, 2018
Updated on: Aug 10, 2023
Table of content
  • What is a hypothesis
  • Purpose of a hypothesis
  • What makes a good hypothesis
  • Hypothesis vs. prediction
  • Step-by-step guide
  • What is the format of a hypothesis
  • Hypothesis examples

How to Write a Hypothesis for a Research Paper
No matter your major, writing a hypothesis statement can take much valuable time. However, this is one of the most common types of papers you can come across. What you want to explore can be complex to put into words. Therefore, writing a hypothesis appears to be a tough challenge for students.

In this article, you will learn more about how to write hypotheses, and it will help you complete the assignment quickly and easily.

What is a hypothesis?

What does hypothesis mean? A hypothesis is a solution formulated on questions you ask yourself about a topic based on a certain understanding of information. The researcher then does research that is to prove the hypothesis. The researcher uses scientific methods to do their experiments.

Writing the hypothesis statement takes you to the research hypothesis, where the topic of discussion or experimentation is specifically pointed out. The research hypothesis is a clearly defined topic of discussion about the results of a study on a particular topic. You must be specific if you need to state a hypothesis in a research paper.

Google defines a hypothesis as follows:

“A hypothesis is a work in progress where you draw questions about a topic you want to research. The question devices should be used in the research ahead on the topic. The questions should also be taken from an issue that you understand best. You can read about the topic or discover other forms of literature to help you know more about the topic you want to draw a hypothesis from. First, think of what will happen, then draw a hypothesis from what you think will happen. You get to experiment with what happens when you later research your hypothesis.”

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What is the purpose of the hypothesis?

A hypothesis is like a first step toward more advanced scientific research. It is the first thought that makes you think about research. For example, you have noticed that all your acquaintances who practice yoga look more relaxed. And you hypothesize that yoga makes people calmer. After that, you must conduct research and confirm or refute this idea.

Thus, the purpose of a hypothesis is to provide research material. That is, with its help, you understand that you want to learn or explore something new.

What makes a good hypothesis?

Now that you understand a hypothesis and why it is written, let’s figure out a reasonable hypothesis. It will help you in the future to write a good hypothesis quickly and efficiently.

There are only a few signs of a reasonable hypothesis.

  1. First, a reasonable hypothesis has cause and effect. As in the example above, if a person regularly practices yoga, he becomes calm. The condition or cause is yoga. The result is calmness. Further in the study, you can test this dependence. Here are some other research hypothesis examples: if a person drinks two cups of coffee in a row, his pressure rises two times. You can also explore this dependency further. Or watching movies in Spanish every day improves your language skills.
  2. The second sign of a reasonable hypothesis is the ability to test it. If you cannot conduct an experiment or check the literature, then such a hypothesis is worth rewriting.
  3. The third thing that should be in a reasonable hypothesis is data dependency. A theory that says that if you change the condition, the result will change. For example, you will feel overwhelmed if you sleep 2 hours a day. When the condition changes, for example, if you sleep 10 hours a day, the result will change, and you will feel rested.

Remember that the correct hypothesis should be written simply and clearly.

Hypothesis vs. prediction

Hypothesis and prediction are two-way things that are not similar. People always use one to mean the other in their different applications, while in reality, they are totally different.

  • The hypothesis assumes the answer to a question. It is based on experiments that facts may dispute. Hypothesis gives you variables that can contradict themselves. They can only be disputed by the scientific facts of the experiments conducted. For instance, a hypothesis can be drawn from looking into the relationship between exercising and not Gettysburg obese. They test the clues of answers you have before getting the facts.
  • A prediction is when someone concludes their little knowledge of the topic without research. Predictions may be based on facts you don’t know more about. Thus, the hypothesis is a knowledgeable guess.


You draw the prediction conclusion from the accuracy of events that follow afterward. If the following events do not correspond, the prediction becomes inaccurate. From the example, a prediction may be made that the percentage of women with obesity will increase by twenty percent by the end of the year. If the prediction is not accurate by then, it is considered null. Prediction is pure guesswork that has no facts to consider.

Predictions have only one chance to prove, but a hypothesis can remain a discussion for a long time. It can take more than one person or one generation to prove. Predictions show future events, but hypotheses are just guesswork in research progress that can be discussed and researched for a long time. The hypothesis will find out more about the two variables in hand. They give what the researcher has in mind about the two variables.

How to write a hypothesis for a research paper: main steps

Select a topic that interests you

The information should be used to derive possible answers to what you would like to research. It can also be found in books from the library and online. To start a hypothesis, pick a topic you’d like to know more about. Selecting an interesting topic helps you to generate a hypothesis before the study. For example, choose a topic like why the percentage of obese women is larger than that of men. This topic may raise a discussion, and the literature on this information will vary. The information in books written by different people will be different.

Read existing research on the selected topic

Research and inquire to gather information on the topic. One needs to be an expert in their chosen topic and draw a hypothesis from them. The information to be gathered should be unbiased and accurate. Reading will help you draw a hypothesis before a scientific method is used to nullify the hypothesis statement. Reading and educating yourself on the topic of study before you draw a hypothesis helps to reduce the chances of a null hypothesis after the experiment. Based on the above topic, one can read philosophical books and documents on obesity and find books on the researched results on the related topic. Information could also be found on websites, videos, and other digital devices.

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Analyze the information you have gathered from all the materials you have used

With the information you have collected, formulate unanswered questions in the articles, videos, and documents, which will help you in your investigations. If you want to make a hypothesis statement, read the information you have collected from all the materials and make sure they are comprehensive. Drawing your hypothesis should be based mostly on what you know about the topic. For example, the information shows that women are not exercising much, which causes obesity. You will find a way of writing your hypothesis based on why women don’t exercise. What if they exercised? Will it reduce obesity among women?

Come up with queries after reading about the topic and its literature

You get to find questions you would like to research from the work you have analyzed. These are the questions you write down, and you would like to do and do more research on the topic. The generated questions are those that will guide your research in the future. The questions drawn from the literature help you research your selected topic. This will guide your research if you would like to analyze further. For example, based on the above analysis, you would say, “How does exercising help reduce the level of obesity in women?”

Come up with important clues on what you think the answers to your questions might be

The questions debited due to the analysis of information on the topic will help you form a basis for your hypothesis. Even the missing information may get some hypotheses based on your topic knowledge. For instance, based on the information, you should try to find answers to questions that may give a clue on why women don’t exercise compared to men.

Get a simple hypothesis topic in the paper

Formulate a thesis that will not give you a headache to come up with the questions and formulate a hypothesis.

What is the format of a hypothesis, and how do you use it?

You can use different formats when you decide to write a hypothesis in science. There is no specific format for styling your hypothesis. Instead, you are supposed to adhere to the instructions of your supervisor given in the paper. To develop a good format, you should:

  • Research the question you asked. The information can be found in books and articles online on websites. In libraries and schools. Research and get your findings from combined sources. The information may contain unknown parts of the study. This will help you in drawing research questions.
  • Create a hypothesis that gives the possible answers to the questions you formulated from your research and reading more. You will use your hypothesis to experiment to determine if the hypothesis statement you draw does not contain a null hypothesis.
  • Construct an experiment structure to check your hypothesis. This experiment uses scientific methods to search for the use of machines to conclude. This information can be found using methods like observation and interviewing people to get information from them. You can also use questionnaires to get information that is not biased. The information should give you the results of the population that shared their information.
  • Study your results, then conclude. The conclusions are drawn from the information obtained from the scientific methods used. The information is analyzed, and comparisons are made. They are compared to the hypothesis you drew earlier. This information is used to form a hypothesis.
  • Give your findings to your teacher or whoever it may concern. After a study, the findings should be presented. It could be done during class discussions, presentations, or further library research. Use this finding to nullify your hypothesis.

Some of the hypothesis examples and types of hypothesis in research

It is good to go through the hypothesis papers of other authors because it helps you to develop your writing skills and find some proper layouts. When you get exposed to different sample hypotheses, you will have learned how to present your hypothesis to meet the recommended format by the end of the day. Remember, there are no templates. You can use your way to formulate a hypothesis. Below are some of how you can perfect your hypothesis.

  1. Why is the percentage of obese women more than that of men? This is a question you ask yourself when you are interested in a topic and want to study it.
  2. Use primary, secondary, and tertiary scientific methods to write a scientific hypothesis paper and do your background check on the disease and its courses. Find out why women get obese at a high rate. Use books from the library and other sources. Go to the library and use online sources to learn more about your question. Read magazines and newspapers related to the question. In this research, I found the following questions to find out.
    • A lack of exercise in the body causes obesity.
    • Most women find it hard to exercise.
    • Men exercise more than women.
    • Eating junk foods without exercising may cause obesity.

  3. Create a hypothesis phrase to answer certain questions you formulated during your study and research. This example of hypothesis in research paper helps predict the results to expect or your filling of information. For instance:
    • Why do you think a lack of exercising the body may cause obesity? Because of a lack of exercise, the baby may accumulate fat.
    • Why do women find it hard to exercise? Because women are believed to be soft creatures that need lots of care.
    • Why do men exercise more than women? Because they feel masculinity is defined by how strong you might be.
    • Why does eating junk foods without exercising have the possibility of being obese? Because junk foods cause fat to build up in the body. Without burning the fat exercising, it will build up and may cause obesity

  4. Experiment during developing a hypothesis. You can use scientific methods to experiment on the hypothesis you drew earlier. Such as:
    • Reading magazines and newspapers
    • Use of questionnaires
    • Interviewing people
    • Observation of people’s behavior
    • Telephone calls
    • Emails
    • Telegram

  5. The data collected should be used to analyze and conclude. Most people might be giving the same information on the topic which you are researching. You will draw your conclusions based on the data you have gathered. The conclusion should not be biased. It should be accurate and comprehensive.
  6. Your results on the findings and conclusion should be presented and communicated to your supervisors or the parties concerned. It can be presented like a class presentation or a group discussion and also further library research. In your group discussion, discuss your findings. Many people in the group may have also had other conclusions about the topic you researched. Some may respond positively, but that doesn’t mean it affects your conclusion.

With this guide, you are certain to come up with the best hypothesis for your audience! For further assistance with hypotheses, use the writing platform.

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