Minimizing the Time Taken Between Hypothesis Generation, Hypothesis Testing and Refinement: A Necessary Adjunct in the Epoch of Fast-Paced Science

The objective of this paper is to emphasize the need for minimizing the time taken between hypothesis formulation or hypothesis generation, hypotheses testing and hypothesis refinement, and the role it can definitely play in accelerating scientific progress. We begin this paper by defining what a hypothesis is, delineating the different steps involved in the formulation of a hypothesis, evaluating the different types of hypotheses, and also by distinguishing and differentiating hypotheses, theories and laws. We also then visit the concept of a grounded theory, and explore the types, uses, and limitations of grounded theory. We also then revisit the concept of latency periods, a concept that we had discussed and debated previously, and to show how time crashing techniques can be suitably employed to bring down timeframes in the entire research cycle. We also then provide and furnish a large number of examples from various fields in the social sciences to illustrate how many hypotheses remain untested for long periods in time, or remain dangling in mid-air. We do then hope, anticipate and expect that this will prove to be an important paper in twenty-first century science, and will encourage and embolden researchers to take up hypotheses verification and hypothesis ratification studies in large numbers in the not too distant future.