How to Read a Hypothesis

A student is writing and taking notes while reading the experimental hypothesis.

A hypothesis is a logical assumption and interpretation of the experimental objective and the consequences it has the potential to entail. Knowing how to read a hypothesis is important for understanding the format of an experiment. By understanding the contents of the hypothesis, it is easier to analyze the conclusion and determine whether or not it corresponds to the prediction in the hypothesis. All of the parts of the laboratory experiment are pertinent to the analysis of the hypothesis.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Lab book

Instructions

1. Read through the background information of the experiment. Before the hypothesis statement, there is usually an abstract. This section of the lab report describes the subject matter of the experiment, the general results of the experiment and how these results are useful for progress. This is useful because it will help you to comprehend the subject matter of the hypothesis.

2. Read the introduction of the lab report, and underline the hypothesis. The introduction is more detailed than the abstract. It explains the advances in the subject that are already known, and then it describes how this experiment relates to and elaborates on that. The hypothesis connects an independent variable with a dependent variable and provides a reason for this connection. It may contains the series of words "if," "then" and "because."

3. Review the objective of the lab. The objective is the purpose for performing the experiment. Understanding the objective will help you to analyze the hypothesis. For example, if the objective of the lab is to determine how different brands of fertilizer affect plant growth, then when you refer back to the hypothesis, you will look for a prediction relating to this. The hypothesis may state that if fertilizer brands X, Y and Z are used for growing the tulips, then brand Z will cause the tulips to grow the tallest because it has a greater amount of nutrients than brands X and Y.

4. Read the remainder of the lab, which includes the materials, results and discussion. When reading a hypothesis, it helps to have knowledge of the entire lab report, so reading through it before rereading the hypothesis is beneficial. Also, the analysis of the results will help you to determine whether or not the prediction in the hypothesis was accurate.

5. Find the hypothesis once again, and determine which part of it is the independent variable. The independent variable is the part of the experiment that is purposefully changed in order to receive a result. For example, in the plant hypothesis, the independent variable is the use of fertilizer brands X, Y and Z. Using a different brand of fertilizer for each tulip may produce different results for each of the flowers.

6. Decide which part of the hypothesis is the dependent variable. The dependent variable is the part of the experiment that is the consequence of the independent variable. For example, regarding the plant hypothesis, the dependent variable is that the plant that is grown with fertilizer brand Z will grow the tallest.

7. Compare the hypothesis to the results of the experiment. If the results agree with the hypothesis, then determine whether or not the reason in the hypothesis was accurate. If the results do not agree with the hypothesis, then find the source of the error. For example, the results of the experiment may be that all of the tulip plants reached the same height. This contradicts the hypothesis. Therefore, even though fertilizer brand Z had more nutrients than brands X and Y, it did not cause the plant to grow taller than the others.

References

• Merriam-Webster: Hypothesis
• University of Arizona: How to Read a Scientific Paper
• Janda: Steps in Formulating a Hypothesis
• Auckland: Evaluating Hypothesis