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    Hypothesis Formation

    A Hypothesis is a proposed explanation of a phenomenon that you wish to investigate. Scientists will base a hypothesis on previous observations that cannot satisfactorily be explained with the pre-existing scientific theories.  For a hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists generally base scientific hypothesis on previous observations that cannot satisfactorily be explained with the available scientific theories. A working hypothesis is one that is widely accepted but not yet tested.

    Formulating a hypothesis is the second step in the scientific method. It involves researching the known information about the questions in which was formulated in step one. A hypothesis can be as specific or vague as needed. Researchers weighing up alternative hypothesis will take into consideration the following things, testability, parsimony, scope, fruitfulness and conservatism.

    A working hypothesis is a hypothesis that is provisionally accepted as a basis for further research in the hope that a tenable theory will be produced, even if the hypothesis ultimately fails.  A working hypothesis is constructed as a statement of expectations, which can be linked to the exploratory research purpose in empirical investigation and are often used as a conceptual framework in qualitative research. 

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