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.
Practical Application
State a hypothesis as a testable prediction that follows from the research question and the rationale or prior evidence. Use a hypothesis only where the study design actually calls for hypothesis testing rather than forcing one into exploratory, descriptive, qualitative, or humanities work.
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.
Reader Check
Can the proposed hypothesis be tested by the study, and does the introduction explain why that prediction follows from the identified question or knowledge gap?
Worked Example
After establishing that light exposure may affect germination, a testable hypothesis could specify the predicted direction of the effect and the groups being compared rather than simply saying “Light matters.”
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