Another important aspect of a hypothesis is that it should be based on research. Remember that the purpose of a hypothesis is to find the answer to a question. The first thing you should do if you want to answer a question is to find as much information on the topic as you can. Before you come up with a specific hypothesis, spend some time doing research. Then, start thinking of questions you still have. After thoroughly researching your question, you should have an educated guess about how things work. This guess about the answer to your question is where your hypothesis comes from.
Let’s imagine that you want to know why the leaves on the tree in your front yard change color in the fall. First, you would research this phenomenon. You observe what you see happen and read about the subject. You discover that the color change happens when the temperature cools. What question does this information make you ask?
You come up with the following question: ‘Does temperature cause the leaves to change color on the tree in my front yard?’ Next, you ask yourself if this can be tested. If it can be tested, you’ll write a hypothesis that states what you expect to find. Your hypothesis could be ‘If lower temperatures cause leaves to change color and the temperature surrounding a tree is decreased, then the leaves will change color.’