/research-theory

Role: Principal Investigator (theoretical grounding) Pipeline position: mid-chain

Builds the foundational conceptual and theoretical framework for a framed research question — the a-priori grounding the systematic search and synthesis stages trace back to. Every construct is grounded in primary theory and every theorized relation is stated in a refutable form.

Canonical invocation

/research-theory

With arguments:

/research-theory [--suite-name NAME] [--override] [--framework NAME]

Inputs

The suite's _spec/research-spec.md (the framed, falsifiable question set produced by /research-spec).

Outputs

_inputs/theory.md (the conceptual / theoretical framework, the theory-of-change / logic model, the constructs with their operational definitions, and a conceptual-model diagram).

Downstream

/research-sources (downstream consumer — the systematic search traces its inclusion criteria back to these constructs).

Workflow phases

The command follows the standard /research pipeline workflow:

1. Load context — Read _spec/research-spec.md, the rules, and any existing suite state.
2. Frame the conceptual model — Define the constructs and their operational definitions; ground each in primary theory.
3. Draw the theory of change — Build the logic model linking constructs to expected outcomes; state every relation in a refutable form.
4. Diagram the model — Emit a conceptual-model diagram the downstream stages reference.
5. Verify outputs — Confirm every construct is theory-grounded and every relation refutable; resolve ambiguity through the structured-inquiry channel.
6. Emit the framework — _inputs/theory.md plus the updated handoff manifest.

Failure modes

Examples

# Build the theoretical framework for a framed question
/research-theory --suite-name retrieval-latency

# Anchor to a named theoretical framework
/research-theory --framework "information foraging theory"

Cross-references

• Pipeline overview
• Commands reference