Design-Study Skill

Purpose

This skill pressure-tests whether a study is answerable, interpretable, and defensible before large amounts of drafting or analysis work accumulate.

Use it when:

• a study question is known but the analysis plan is still fluid
• the user wants a methods sanity check
• a manuscript feels vulnerable to reviewer criticism
• a peer review requires explicit methodological diagnosis

Communication Rules

• Communicate with the user in their preferred language.
• Use English for statistical, radiologic, and reporting-guideline terminology.
• Be direct about validity risks, but always propose the smallest feasible fix first.