Hypothesis
A testable, falsifiable prediction about the relationship between variables, stated before data are collected.
A hypothesis is a precise statement predicting how one variable relates to another, derived from theory or prior research. It must be testable, meaning data could support or contradict it, and falsifiable, meaning it could in principle be shown wrong. Quantitative studies often pair a directional or non-directional alternative hypothesis with a null hypothesis that assumes no effect, and the statistical test decides between them.
In a thesis, hypotheses translate a broad research question into concrete claims your methods can evaluate. Stating them before analysis protects you from fitting explanations to results after the fact, a practice examiners are trained to spot. Each hypothesis should map to a specific analysis in the results chapter, so a clean list of numbered hypotheses makes the methodology and results chapters far easier to structure and defend.
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