Literature and research question
Locate the question within existing evidence. Identify what is known, where explanations disagree, and what your study can add.
Ask: What precise gap does this study address?FROM QUESTION TO CONTRIBUTION
Research Pipeline
Strong empirical work is not simply a regression. The question, literature, conceptual model, data, and interpretation must form one coherent argument.
FOUR CONNECTED STAGES · ONE RESEARCH LOGICTHE RESEARCH ARCHITECTURE
Four stages of social-science research
Each stage narrows the question and strengthens the evidence. If one changes, revisit the others.
Theoretical or conceptual model
Simplify the real-world problem enough to identify the mechanisms that matter and derive predictions that can be tested.
Ask: What mechanism links the explanatory variable to the outcome?Empirical analysis
Use descriptive patterns to motivate the question, then apply appropriate statistical inference to evaluate the hypotheses.
Ask: Do the data and model permit the conclusion I want to draw?Research paper
Explain the contribution, report the evidence transparently, reconcile results with the framework, and identify limitations and next questions.
Ask: What should the reader understand differently after this study?THE LOGIC IN MOTION
1
Question
Define the phenomenon and the contribution.
2
Hypothesis
Translate the proposed mechanism into a testable prediction.
3
Evidence
Choose data and methods that speak to the prediction.
4
Interpretation
State what the results do—and do not—establish.
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