Comparative Formulation

Construct comparative research questions — when research requires comparing A vs B, systematically construct a fair, meaningful comparison.

When to Use

• Need to compare two methods/conditions/groups
• The hypothesis involves "X is better than / different from Y"
• Need to ensure the fairness and validity of the comparison

Thinking Framework

Core logic: a good comparative research question requires clarifying four elements — what is compared (objects), along what dimension (metrics), under what conditions (controls), and what counts as "different" (threshold).

Comparison Design Principles

• Fairness: the comparison conditions are fair to both sides (not a strawman)
• Clear dimensions: along which dimension(s) the comparison is made
• Controlled variables: all conditions are the same except the compared objects
• Effect size: not just "whether there is a difference" but "how large a difference is meaningful"

Comparison Types

Type	Example	Key considerations
Method comparison	Method A vs Method B	Implementation fairness, dataset selection
Condition comparison	With X vs Without X	Controlled variables, confounding factors
Group comparison	Group A vs Group B	Matching, selection bias
Temporal comparison	Before vs After	History effects, maturation effects

Budget Gate

Tier	Comparison design	Fairness argument	Output
S	Comparison objects + clear dimensions	Basic fairness statement	≥1 comparative RQ
M	+ controlled variables + effect size	Fairness argument + identification of potential bias	≥2 comparative RQs
L	+ multi-dimensional + sensitivity	Full fairness analysis + bias mitigation strategy	≥3 comparative RQs

Default Reference Flow

1. Determine the comparison objects (what A and B are)
2. Determine the comparison dimensions (along what metrics to compare)
3. Determine the control conditions (what to keep constant)
4. Argue fairness (whether the comparison is fair)
5. Structure it with the PICO framework (the C component is core)
6. FINER check
7. Define success criteria (what counts as a "meaningful difference")

context-checkpoint

After the Strategy completes, context-checkpoint must be called, recording:

• Comparison objects and selection rationale
• Comparison dimensions
• Fairness argument
• Final comparative RQ

Available Tactics

Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.

Tactic	When to use
framework-selection-and-application	Tactic: Select the most suitable RQ framework and apply it systematically

Available SOPs

Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.

SOP	When to use
finer-criteria-check	SOP: check research-question quality against each of the 5 FINER criteria
success-criteria-definition	SOP: Define measurable success criteria for a research question