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Assumptions
"He who adds not to his learning diminishes it." - The Talmud
The scope of the research project is large enough without having to prove certain aspects of your Problem Statement. Assumptions allow you to forgo extra research to prove something that is generally taken to be true. For example, a research project about the Holocaust and World War II would have to make the assumption that the Holocaust actually existed. While it is a generally accepted fact, there are some who still believe that tragedy never occured. By making Assumptions, a researcher makes the entire research project easier on his or herself by narrowing the scope and keeping the research focused.
Here are some requirements when creating Assumptions:
- 1. they should be based on prior knowledge
2. they should agreed upon by the majority
3. they should be socially accepted (no one acts against it)
Don't confuse "assumptions" with your "hypotheses" -- some things you may believe to be true on a personal level, to the point to where you think it is an assumption. Look at your problem from the general public's perpective -- would they believe that fact to be true? If so, then it is an assumption.
Steps in Creating Assumptions
1. Take the Problem Statement you wrote and think about possible areas where you know that you assumed information to be true.
2. Write 5-10 assumptions, keeping in mind to write in complete sentences.
3. Submit the assumptions to be edited by your peers and your teacher. After peer editing, edit your assumptions. You may need to add more or to take some away, depending on the suggestions you received during editing.
4. Now you have your Assumptions. They will help others better understand your research project. Now, you can start working on your Secondary Sources.
Example
This is my problem statement. One area of the problem that I thought I made an assumption about is italicized below:
"How has the popularity of Japanese animation in the U.S. from 1999-2000 affected the content of pre-teen cartoons (aimed at children aged 10-14) produced in 2000-01 in the U.S.?"
This is an example of one assumption I wrote about Japanese animation:
"Japanese animation (anime), intended for a Japanese audience, is originally produced in Japan."
This page is created and maintained by Jennifer Tam. Copyright 2001.