Whether you know anything about the author, you can evaluate an article on its own merits by using hypothetical reasoning. Scientists use hypothetical reasoning to determine if scientific ideas are true. Readers can use hypothetical reasoning to help decide if what they read is fact or fiction. (It is important to recognize that using hypothetical reasoning to analyze an article will not necessarily prove that the author's claims are true. However, if it is done properly, it can determine whether the author has presented a reasonable case in support of his or her claim.)

To use hypothetical reasoning to analyze an article, you will use five steps:

1. State the author's claim (the hypothesis).
2. Gather the author's evidence supporting the claim.
3. Examine the evidence the author uses to support the claim.
4. Consider alternative hypotheses (explanations).
5. Draw a conclusion about the author's claim.