define-evidence-protocol
Purpose
Define research questions, eligible evidence scope, query concepts, inclusion/exclusion rules, provenance requirements, and stopping evidence.
Input contract
yamlrequired: [research_question, evidence_scope, inclusion_rules] optional: [exclusion_rules, query_concepts, quality_rubric, stopping_policy] constraints: [eligible universe, provenance fields, and stopping evidence must be explicit]
Procedure
- State the question, target population or domain, comparison, outcomes, and time boundaries.
- Define eligible evidence, exclusion rules, source-independence requirements, and extraction fields.
- Specify batch boundaries, novelty dimensions, and relative stopping evidence.
- Record unresolved scope choices before acquisition begins.
If the protocol fixes inclusion, exclusion, and stopping rules, consider select-seed-evidence as the next tactic.
Output contract
yamlproduces: [evidence_protocol, eligible_universe, query_concepts, screening_rules, provenance_requirements, stopping_evidence] delta_fields: [decisions, assumption_updates, uncertainties, open_questions]
Quality gates
- The eligible universe and exclusion rules are operational.
- Stopping evidence names numerator, denominator, batch increment, source references, direction, threshold, and rationale when relative quantities apply.
Failure and counterexamples
Do not use provider names as a protocol, and do not declare coverage from search volume without a defined eligible universe.
Provenance map
resolved: define-search-protocolresolved: inclusion-criteria-design


