---
id: "worksheets:exercise/define-hypothesis"
type: "Solving Public Problems worksheet"
title: "Define Your Hypothesis"
url: "https://worksheets.solvingpublicproblems.org/exercise/define-hypothesis"
date: "2024-07-11"
summary: "Having defined a problem, try refining your definition by stating the problem as a hypothesis that explains why the problem is happening.Start by doing the..."
source: "Solving Public Problems worksheets (worksheets.solvingpublicproblems.org), The GovLab and the Burnes Center for Social Change"
licence: "none stated"
---

# Define Your Hypothesis

Exercise group: Defining a Public Problem · Optional exercise

## About this worksheet

Having defined a problem, try refining your definition by stating the problem as a hypothesis that explains why the problem is happening.Start by doing the following:

## Tips

- Now you will need to do further targeted background research on both evidence and practice to refine the hypothesis (see chapter 8 for more on how to do such rapid evidence reviews).
- Use both data-analytical and human-centered approaches to test your hypothesis (see chapters 5 and 6)

## Questions

1. Do background research on the problem to enable you to formulate the hypothesis.
2. Do an initial problem definition, identifying root causes.
3. Formulate the problem definition as an “if . . . then” statement. The common format is: “If [cause]____________________________________________, then [effect]____________________________________________, because [rationale]____________________________________________.”

## Source

Solving Public Problems, Chapter 4, p. 92

## PDF version

https://directus.theburnescenter.org/assets/07d1d8a7-4eab-4811-ad79-e9afb96f4dfd

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Original page: https://worksheets.solvingpublicproblems.org/exercise/define-hypothesis · Licence: none stated