Research question vs. Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a tentative statement predicting a particular relationship between two or more variables. If you want to know whether or not your study requires a hypothesis, ask yourself these questions: Are you undertaking a quantitative study?
Does your study take an experimental approach to answer questions?
Are you making a prediction about the phenomenon being studied?
If your answer to these questions is 'yes', then you will need a hypothesis, but if it is 'no' then you will need a research question.
This is because a hypothesis is a statement that is tested by experiment(s) to confirm or deny the phenomenon Turning now to a research question, if you are incorporating a research question rather than a hypothesis, then remember that some of the important features of a good question are that the question or problem should be: about one issue; clear and concise; addresses an important, controversial and/or an unresolved issue; feasible to undertake within a specified timeframe; adequately resourced.
Hypothesis (plural = hypotheses)
A hypothesis is not a question, but rather it is a statement about the relationship between two or more variables.
So, for example, the first question above could become a hypothesis by making this a statement rather than a question, namely:
The perceived needs of the patient and users of South Bedfordshire's palliative care services are being met.
To be complete a hypothesis must include three components:
The variables
The population
The relationship between the variables
As you can see, the hypothesis translates the research question into a prediction of expected outcomes. A hypothesis is the tool of quantitative studies, and is only found in such studies.
In fact, a hypothesis is usually only found in experimental quantitative research studies.
You will be able to find out more about hypothesese when we look at them in more detail later in the session.
Research question.
A research question is