Interview Me

• "What's your intuition for why X happens?"
• "What would standard theory predict? Do you expect something different?"

Phase 3: Data and Setting (1-2 questions)

• "What data do you have access to?"
• "Is there a specific context or institutional setting you're focused on?"

Phase 4: Identification (1-2 questions)

• "Is there a natural experiment or source of variation you can exploit?"
• "What's the biggest threat to a causal interpretation?"

Phase 5: Expected Results (1-2 questions)

• "What would you expect to find? What would surprise you?"

Phase 6: Contribution (1 question)

• "How does this differ from what's already been done?"

After the Interview

Produce a Research Specification Document and save to quality_reports/research_spec_[sanitized_topic].md.

Interview Style

• Be curious, not prescriptive.
• Probe weak spots gently.
• Build on answers. Each question should follow from the previous response.
• Know when to stop. If the researcher has a clear vision after 4-5 exchanges, move to the specification.