Hypothesis Statement
University of Wisconsin–Madison science-writing guidance places the focused study question, biological rationale, and hypothesis together so the hypothesis follows logically from what is known and the identified knowledge gap. Hypotheses are common in hypothesis-testing empirical research but are not required in every qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, or humanities project.
A hypothesis statement gives a testable prediction grounded in the study’s rationale; it should follow logically from the research question and relevant background rather than appear without support.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Hypotheses are common in hypothesis-testing empirical research but are not required in every qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, or humanities project.
Further guidance
Content
Express the study’s testable prediction and show how it follows from the research rationale.
Purpose
State the predicted relationship or outcome clearly enough to be evaluated by the study design, and connect it to the rationale that makes the prediction plausible.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Writing an Introduction for a Scientific Paper (opens in a new tab)University of Wisconsin–Madison Writing Across the Curriculum · University science-writing guidance on focused research questions and hypotheses in research introductions