# Manuscript Outline Template

<!--
Usage: Create a paper-first outline with paragraph-level intent and evidence mapping.
Save to: RESEARCH/[topic]/manuscript/outline.md
-->

# Manuscript Outline: [Working Title]

## 0) Metadata
- Paper type: empirical / qualitative / systematic review / theory / methods
- Target venue:
- Word/page limit:
- Double-blind: Y/N
- Citation style:

---

## 1) Core Story
- **One-sentence claim**:
- **What’s new** (3 bullets):
  - 
  - 
  - 
- **Why it matters** (2 bullets):
  - 
  - 

---

## 2) Section Outline (Paragraph-level)

### Title + Keywords
- Title candidates:
- Keywords (5–8):

### Abstract (150–250 words)
- Background:
- Gap:
- Method:
- Results:
- Implications:

### 1. Introduction
P1: Context + why important (evidence/citation: )  
P2: Concrete gap (evidence/citation: )  
P3: Approach overview (pointer to method)  
P4: Key results preview (pointer to results)  
P5: Contributions list (bullet) + roadmap  

### 2. Related Work / Literature Positioning
Theme A: what is known + where it falls short (citations)  
Theme B: competing approaches + tradeoffs (citations)  
Theme C: why your angle is needed (citations)  

### 3. Methods
- Design summary:
- Site / case access:
- Data / participants / cases:
- Measures / constructs / protocols:
- Procedure:
- Analysis / coding plan:
- Reflexivity / ethics / consent (if applicable):

### 4. Results / Findings
- Primary outcomes / themes / dimensions / process stages:
- Secondary outcomes / rival cases:
- Robustness checks / disconfirming cases:
- Subgroups / heterogeneity / case contrasts:
- Companion interpretation note: `manuscript/results_interpretation.md`
- Companion magnitude note: `manuscript/effect_interpretation.md`
- Table anchors:
- Figure anchors:

### 5. Discussion
- Interpretation (link to RQs/hypotheses):
- Comparison to prior work:
- Implications (theory/practice):
- Mechanisms / boundary conditions:
- What the setting sharpens or limits:

### 6. Limitations / Threats to Validity
- Internal validity:
- Construct validity:
- External validity:
- Statistical conclusion validity:
- Credibility / transferability / dependability / confirmability:

### 7. Conclusion
- Summary:
- Contributions:
- Future work:

---

## 3) Evidence Inventory (What must exist)

| Needed Evidence | Where it comes from | Current status | Notes |
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|------|
| Key citations | `bibliography.bib` + paper notes | TODO | |
| Methods detail | `study_design.md` / `analysis_plan.md` | TODO | |
| Results tables/figures | analysis outputs | TODO | |
| Results interpretation | `manuscript/results_interpretation.md` | TODO | |
| Effect interpretation (if applicable) | `manuscript/effect_interpretation.md` | TODO | |
| Ethics statement | `ethics_irb.md` | TODO | |
