| name | devils-advocate |
| description | Structured debate between two perspectives on a research design decision. |
| argument-hint | [decision] [option-A] vs [option-B] |
Devil's Advocate — Structured Design Debate
When to Use
When uncertain about a design choice: DiD vs synthetic control, instrument A vs instrument B, cluster at district vs province, include control X or not.
Steps
-
State the decision clearly: what is being decided, what are the options
-
Argue FOR Option A — the strongest possible case:
- What assumptions does it require?
- What makes it the better choice for this specific setting?
- What would a supportive referee say?
- What evidence supports it?
-
Argue FOR Option B — the strongest possible case:
- Same structure as above
- No straw-manning — the best version of this argument
-
Present the trade-off matrix:
| Dimension | Option A | Option B |
|---|
| Assumptions required | | |
| Robustness to violations | | |
| Data requirements | | |
| Reviewer acceptability | | |
| Precision | | |
-
Recommendation (with caveats): which option is stronger and why
-
Document the decision and reasoning in pre-analysis-plan/strategy-memo.md
Important
- Ideally run with two separate Claude sessions (one per side) for genuine independence
- The goal is to surface the strongest version of each argument, not to confirm a prior
- Document the decision — future you will want to know why you chose Option A