Hypothesis: a proposed explanation, not an established answer

When a report proposes why something happened, pause before reading that proposal as its conclusion. We can keep an idea on the table without saying it has already been demonstrated. The useful distinction is between the observation, the proposed explanation, and what would need checking next.

The disappearing blue pencils

Here is an invented family example. A shared drawing box contains fewer blue pencils than yesterday. One person suggests that everyone chose blue for a sea picture. Another wonders whether a separate pencil pouch was returned to the wrong shelf.

The observation is the count in this box today. The two suggestions are possible explanations, not observations of what everyone actually did. A child points out that nobody counted the box yesterday; “fewer than yesterday” was itself a guess. The family can correct the starting sentence to “We see two blue pencils in this box now.”

That correction changes their next question. Looking in the other pouch might locate some pencils, but it would not show why anybody selected a color. They do not need to test a child's honesty or attribute a preference to ADHD to decide where the drawing supplies should go.

Separate the sentence types

For a passage in a research summary, make a small three-part note:

• Reported observation: what does the source say was found or measured?
• Proposed explanation: what do the authors suggest could account for it?
• Check described: what investigation did they actually report, or say is still needed?

Add a fourth line for your own question. Label it as yours rather than attaching it to the authors. In the pencil scene, that line could be: “Did we ever record yesterday's contents?” It is a useful question even though it is not a full research hypothesis.

Read the authors' verbs

Look for the actual language around the idea. Does the passage say the authors propose an explanation, examined it, observed a result, or recommend further investigation? Copy the location into your note so you can return to the surrounding context. Do not silently replace “could explain” with “explains” when retelling the passage.

If the report does not describe the relevant investigation, leave that field open. An appealing explanation and a familiar family experience are not, by themselves, the missing research report.

Room for different observations

A younger family member may notice a concrete detail that adults overlooked. A partner can offer another possibility without accusing the first person of being wrong about everything. An educator can help separate the assignment's proposed explanation from its recorded observations. We can use those distinctions without turning everyday family life into an experiment on one another.

This page explains terminology. It does not propose a cause for a person's symptoms, a diagnostic test, or an experiment involving care, medication, sleep, or private behavior.

Source

[1] National Cancer Institute. Hypothesis. NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms; publication date not stated; accessed September 6, 2026. Full definition supports [1]. Only the terminology is used; the pencil scene is invented.

Related guides

• Evidence
• Research protocol
• Causation
• Clarifying question