Concepts

What Is A Study?

A study is a typed specification of empirical intent: hypotheses, factors, conditions, outcomes, and execution budget. It is the unit that ties method to execution artifacts.

Hypotheses and Outcomes

Hypotheses define expected effects. Outcomes define what is measured. Analysis plans bind hypotheses and outcomes so interpretation contracts are explicit before execution.

Factors and Levels

Factors represent manipulated or observed variables. Levels define the concrete values used to materialize run conditions.

Blocks and Replications

Blocking controls nuisance variation. Replications support stability estimation and reduce sensitivity to one-off stochastic runs.

Admissible Conditions

Constraints determine which factor combinations are valid. Condition generation is therefore methodological filtering, not just combinatorics.

DOE Builders

The package includes multiple design builders (for example full factorial, latin hypercube, and fractional two-level forms). The right choice depends on the question, budget, and expected interactions.

Artifacts and Manifests

Canonical exports (study definitions, run tables, event tables, evaluation rows, and manifests) are designed to feed downstream analysis and reporting without ad-hoc schema translation. See Artifact Contract for the file-level guarantees and versioning rules.

The “Hat” Role

This library sits above agents, problems, and analysis because it defines the logic connecting them. It is the place where methodological rigor enters the software stack.