Final answer:
Before developing a hypothesis, a scientist engages in observation and research to inform their educated guess regarding a natural phenomenon, which leads to the formulation of a testable hypothesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Before developing a hypothesis, a scientist typically undertakes an observation and research.
An observation involves noting a pattern or anomaly in the natural world that sparks a scientific question.
Following this curiosity, the scientist conducts thorough research regarding the topic to gain a foundational understanding.
This background research is crucial as it informs the development of a well-founded and testable hypothesis, which is necessitated by the scientific method.
The hypothesis itself is a tentative explanation that details the scientist's current understanding of a phenomenon and is devised to be falsifiable through experimentation.
By investigating previously established scientific knowledge, the scientist can construct a hypothesis that logically extends this knowledge base in a testable manner, setting the stage for the next phase of the scientific method: designing and conducting experiments to validate the hypothesis.