# Research Stage — Elaboration

## Criteria Guidance

### Good criteria — concrete and verifiable

- "Research brief covers at least 3 competing approaches with pros/cons for each"
- "All claims cite a specific source with retrieval date"
- "Gap analysis identifies at least 2 areas requiring further investigation"

### Bad criteria — vague (no clear check)

- "Research is thorough"
- "Sources are included"
- "Analysis is complete"

