Research Method
A note is recorded only after separating the wording being proposed from concepts that already exist.
01 / Define
State one question precisely enough that its assumptions can be challenged. Terms that change the scope of the question are defined before conclusions are drawn.
02 / Search
Search the proposed wording and neighboring terminology. The purpose is not to prove novelty by failing to find an identical phrase. It is to identify the closest prior theories, empirical cases, competing explanations, and earlier formulations.
03 / Separate
Distinguish three things: what prior literature already establishes, what the current note proposes, and what remains uncertain. Similar wording is not treated as proof of conceptual identity, and different wording is not treated as proof of originality.
04 / Source
Primary literature, academic publishers, research archives, and direct institutional sources are preferred where available. Sources are linked so readers can inspect the underlying work rather than rely on a summary.
05 / Revise
Publication does not freeze a note. A later source may narrow the claim, reveal an older precedent, change a definition, or overturn the framing. Git history keeps those changes visible.