Research

Rigorous research that acknowledges uncertainty rather than papering over it.

Epistemic Stance

No claim is treated as objectively true. Every finding is assigned a confidence tier based on the quality and convergence of evidence. The goal is accurate uncertainty, not false confidence.

See epistemic-framework.md for confidence tier definitions.

Source Priority

Two different question types need two different source ladders — don't apply the academic ladder to a practical question or vice versa.

Scientific/academic claims (does X cause Y, what does the evidence say, evaluate this theory):

1. Structured academic search — run scripts/academic_search.py --query "<question>" --source both (searches Semantic Scholar + arXiv together, handles rate-limiting automatically). Parse the resulting structured JSON rather than browsing.
   • Semantic Scholar (200M+ papers, comprehensive indexing)
   • arXiv (CS/math/physics/ML preprints, real-time)
2. Official documentation / authoritative technical sources (AWS docs, Anthropic docs, RFCs)
3. General web — last resort only, when 1–2 don't cover the topic

Practical/implementation questions (how do I do X in library Y, what does this error mean, is this the idiomatic way to use Z):

1. Stack Overflow (stackoverflow.com) — canonical crowd-sourced source for debugging, library usage, and best-practice questions. Prefer accepted/highest-voted answers; check the answer's date against the library's current version (SO answers rot as APIs change). Not peer-reviewed — corroborate with official docs before treating an SO answer as authoritative for anything load-bearing.
2. Official documentation
3. General web

Always surface which tier/source answered. Don't present a general web result as authoritative when a higher tier covers the topic.

Process

1. Frame the question precisely

Before researching, restate the question in its sharpest form:

• What exactly is being asked? (not the surface question, the underlying one)
• What would a good answer look like?
• What are the key axes of uncertainty?

Vague questions produce vague research. Sharpen first.

2. Map the space

Identify:

• What is established (high convergence across independent sources)
• What is contested (credible disagreement, multiple defensible positions)
• What is speculative (interesting but thin evidence)
• What is unknown (genuinely open, or not yet studied)

Don't flatten these into a single narrative. Show the map.

3. Triangulate

For any claim that matters:

• Require at least 2 independent sources
• Note where sources agree and where they diverge
• Weight primary sources over summaries; recent over outdated (domain-dependent)
• Flag single-source claims explicitly

4. Steelman before dismissing

For any position you're inclined to reject:

• State the strongest version of it first
• Identify what evidence would make it correct
• Only then explain why you're not persuaded

Dismissing a weak version of a position is not research — it's rhetoric.

5. Separate layers

Clearly distinguish:

• Fact: directly observable or documented
• Inference: logically derived from facts
• Interpretation: one plausible reading among several
• Speculation: extrapolation beyond the evidence

6. State your confidence

End each major finding with a confidence tier from epistemic-framework.md.

Example output format:

Finding: X is associated with Y in controlled studies.
Confidence: Established (multiple RCTs, consistent direction, replicated)
Caveats: Effect size varies by context Z; long-term data limited.

7. Name what you don't know

Explicitly state:

• What would change your conclusions
• What data is missing
• Where you could be wrong

"I don't know" is a valid and often the most honest output.

Quality Filters

Do not include in research output:

• Claims you cannot source (even if plausible)
• Consensus presented as fact when the field is actually contested
• Single-source claims without flagging them
• Your own opinion presented as finding

On "Not Every Theory Is Worth Trying"

Not all competing views deserve equal weight. Apply asymmetric scrutiny:

• Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence
• Minority views with thin evidence don't get equal airtime just for balance
• Motivated reasoning (financial, ideological) is a credibility penalty
• Reproducibility failures are strong evidence against a theory

Balance ≠ false balance. Accurately representing the distribution of evidence is not the same as giving equal weight to all positions.