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Canonical Research Lifecycle

From project creation to completed, reviewable research work

Use one project and one canonical eight-phase lifecycle. Existing five-step workflow modules remain compatibility views; phase readiness and forward navigation come from the canonical lifecycle, not from page-specific UI rules.

The eight canonical lifecycle phases

The server owns phase state and transition permission. The UI presents readiness, blockers, revalidation, and the next backend-approved action.

1. Project Created

Define the project question, objectives, scope, and working plan.

Compatibility workflow view: project plan
2. Discovery

Find, evaluate, and save candidate research sources.

Compatibility workflow view: find save
3. Screening

Apply the project screening criteria and record evidence decisions.

Compatibility workflow view: read review
4. Evidence Review

Review the included evidence and its limitations before analysis.

Compatibility workflow view: read review
5. Analysis

Compare and synthesize evidence into bounded analytical findings.

Compatibility workflow view: compare analyze
6. Writing

Develop the discussion and research writing from validated evidence.

Compatibility workflow view: discussion
7. Adviser Review

Resolve adviser or research-review requirements when a linked proposal requires them.

8. Completed

The guided research lifecycle has been completed.

Two ways to build the Project Plan

I already have a research problem

Enter or revise your own problem, objectives, and questions. The system may identify alignment issues, but your wording remains authoritative.

I only have a topic

Choose the study intent, population, and setting. The system proposes a provisional, editable problem and aligned questions. You must review and confirm it before continuing.

Important: a topic-derived proposal is not proof of originality or a genuine literature gap. Validate it through reviewed literature, feasibility, ethics, and adviser guidance.

Illustrative study blueprint

This is a planning example, not a completed study and not a claim that a research gap exists.

Working title
Study Habits and Academic Self-Regulation Among First-Year WPU Students
Problem
The levels and relationship of study habits and academic self-regulation among first-year students in the selected WPU setting require systematic assessment. Reviewed literature must first establish whether a context-specific study is justified.
Questions
What are the levels of study habits and academic self-regulation? Is there a statistically significant relationship between the two constructs?
Objectives
Describe both constructs and determine whether a statistically significant relationship exists.
Direction
Tentative quantitative correlational design; final instruments, sampling, and analysis require methodological review.
Scope
First-year WPU students at the selected campus during the declared academic year.

Quality safeguards used throughout the workflow

  • Generated planning text stays provisional until the researcher reviews it.
  • Only sources marked Use inform comparison and the final discussion.
  • Metadata-only evidence is distinguished from abstracts and available full text.
  • Missing methods, findings, page numbers, and citations are not invented.
  • Notes are researcher interpretation, not automatically verified study evidence.
  • Every citation, factual claim, design choice, and exported draft still requires researcher verification.

Troubleshooting

Save & Continue stays on Project Plan.
Complete the topic, problem, at least one question, population or setting, scope, and—when generated—researcher confirmation.
A connector search turns red.
Open the provider diagnostic details. A red state can mean missing credentials, an unreachable endpoint, a provider rate limit, or an invalid response. The system should continue with healthy providers when fallback is available.
A source link does not open.
Try the institutional access link, search the exact title, or report the broken record.
A citation is incomplete.
Verify the author, date, title, publication, DOI, and URL against the original source before export.

Documentation for V40.45.0 · Researcher responsibility and academic integrity remain required.