In the context of scientific inquiry, what step typically follows formulating a hypothesis?

Formulating a hypothesis is a crucial step in the scientific method, and the step that follows is testing the hypothesis. This involves designing and conducting experiments or observations to collect data that will either support or refute the hypothesis. Testing allows researchers to explore the validity of their proposed explanations for phenomena based on evidence.

During this phase, various methods, such as controlled experiments or field studies, are applied to gather the necessary data that will either confirm the hypothesis or indicate that it needs to be revised or rejected. This step is foundational to the scientific process because it acts as the bridge between theoretical predictions and observational reality, providing clarity and direction for further inquiry.

Once data is collected from testing the hypothesis, researchers can then analyze the results and draw conclusions, which is a different step that follows after testing, not directly after formulating the hypothesis. Similarly, stating theories comes later in the process once a hypothesis has been thoroughly tested and validated by consistent results across multiple investigations.