hypothesis-gen

Research

Structured hypothesis generation workflow. Use when: user needs to formulate testable scientific hypotheses from observations, gaps, or preliminary data. NOT for: testing hypotheses or running experiments.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/beita6969/ScienceClaw/blob/HEAD/skills/hypothesis-gen/SKILL.md

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Hypothesis Generation Skill

Structured workflow for generating testable scientific hypotheses.

When to Use

"Generate hypotheses for this research question"
"What could explain this observation?"
"Propose testable ideas based on this data"
"Help me formulate H0 and H1"
"What hypotheses does this gap suggest?"

When NOT to Use

Testing/verifying hypotheses (use scienceclaw-verification)
Designing experiments (use experimental-design)
Literature searching (use literature-search)
Writing full papers (use paper-writing)

Generation Workflow

Step 1: Observe

Identify the phenomenon, anomaly, or gap:

What was observed?
What is unexpected or unexplained?
What contradicts existing theory?
What data pattern needs explanation?

Step 2: Contextualize

Ground in existing literature:

What do current theories predict?
What related findings exist?
Where are the knowledge gaps?
What alternative explanations exist?

Step 3: Formulate

State the hypothesis formally:

Template: "If [independent variable/condition], then [predicted effect on dependent variable], because [proposed mechanism]."

Null Hypothesis (H0): No effect / no difference / no relationship Alternative Hypothesis (H1): The predicted effect exists Directional: Specify direction (increase/decrease) when justified

Step 4: Evaluate

Score each hypothesis on:

Criterion	Score (1-5)	Description
Testability	_	Can be experimentally tested?
Falsifiability	_	Can be proven wrong?
Novelty	_	How new is this idea?
Mechanism	_	Is the proposed mechanism plausible?
Feasibility	_	Can current methods test it?
Impact	_	How significant if confirmed?

Step 5: Prioritize

Rank hypotheses by:

Total evaluation score
Risk-reward ratio (impact / feasibility)
Alignment with available resources
Potential for publication

Output Format

## Hypothesis [N]: [Short title]

**Statement**: If [condition], then [prediction], because [mechanism].
**H0**: [Null hypothesis]
**H1**: [Alternative hypothesis]

**Variables**:
- Independent: [variable]
- Dependent: [variable]
- Controls: [variables to hold constant]

**Evaluation**: Testability=[X] Falsifiability=[X] Novelty=[X] Mechanism=[X] Feasibility=[X] Impact=[X]
**Priority Score**: [Total/30]

**Key References**: [relevant citations]
**Suggested Test**: [brief experimental approach]

Quality Checklist

Hypothesis is specific and testable
Variables are clearly identified
Mechanism is plausible given known science
Null hypothesis is properly stated
Predictions are measurable
At least one path to falsification exists
Novel relative to existing literature
Ethical considerations addressed