Opinion paper: The sound use of experimental hypotheses in animal science

• Many animal science studies lack clearly formulated scientific hypotheses. • Good hypothesis should be explicit, modest, testable, and falsifiable. • Well-structured hypotheses strengthen the coherence between research aims, design, and interpretation. • Clarifying hypotheses improves transparency, reproducibility, and statistical reporting. • This paper proposes a 10-step tool to guide the formulation of sound, hypothesis-driven research.