The Role of Hypotheses in Biomechanical Research

Bibliographic Data

ID14670740
AuthorsDarrell P Rowbottom (0000-0001-8226-9828, Lingnan University), R Mcneill Alexander (University of Leeds)
Year2012
Volume25
Issue2
Pages247-262
Publication date2012-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScience in Context (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0269-8897 • E-ISSN: 1474-0664
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0269889712000051
PMID23045751
OpenAlexW2043501666
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited36

Argument This paper investigates whether there is a discrepancy between stated and actual aims in biomechanical research, particularly with respect to hypothesis testing. We present an analysis of one hundred papers recently published in The Journal of Experimental Biology and Journal of Biomechanics , and examine the prevalence of papers which (a) have hypothesis testing as a stated aim, (b) contain hypothesis testing claims that appear to be purely presentational (i.e. which seem not to have influenced the actual study), and (c) have exploration as a stated aim. We found that whereas no papers had exploration as a stated aim, 58 per cent of papers had hypothesis testing as a stated aim. We had strong suspicions, at the bare minimum, that presentational hypotheses were present in 31 per cent of the papers in this latter group

Alternative hypothesis · Biology · Econometrics · Linguistics · Null hypothesis · Presentational and representational acting · Statistical hypothesis testing · Statistics · Animal testing and alternatives · Biomedical and Engineering Education · Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Biomedical Research · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychology

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