persona-garden-patch

• is_a::[[Form Type]]
• has_status::[[Seed Stage]]
• in_domain::[[Deep Context Architecture]]
• in_precinct::[[Garden Precinct]]

Research Form

Core question: “What have I investigated about this question, and what did I find?”

A living investigation that grows through active research. Contains form-typed sections — each section carries its own is_a:: predicate identifying what kind of garden node it would become when extracted. The research form depletes over time: as findings extract into standalone garden nodes, the research note’s value migrates outward. A fully extracted research note has done its job.

Distinguished from two related forms:

• Reference Form — a static briefing for lookup. References synthesize; research investigates. A reference answers “what do I need to know?” A research form answers “what did I find out?”
• Inquiry Form — poses questions and directs investigation. An inquiry drives a research form; the research form contains the evidence and analysis the inquiry called for.

The typical lifecycle: an Inquiry poses a question → a Research form investigates it → form-typed sections extract into standalone Models, Patterns, Glosses, Decisions → the Research form depletes, leaving provenance links.

Structural Contract

A research form requires these sections in order:

1. Overview — What prompted this investigation, what question is being explored, and a provisional orientation. The overview frames but does not argue. “The answer appears to be X rather than Y” invites revision; a thesis resists it. State enough for the reader to follow the investigation without committing to a conclusion the findings haven’t yet earned.

2. Form-typed sections — Each finding organized as a named section with its own is_a:: predicate and structural contract. Sections use ### Form-Type: Descriptive Title headings. Each section is independently extractable. Per-section #### Sources track evidence for that finding.

3. Research Gaps — Unanswered questions, areas needing further investigation. Well-defined gaps may become Inquiry forms.

4. Sources — Aggregated sources from all sections.

5. Relations — Note-level typed predicates connecting to other vault and garden nodes.

6. Extracted Garden Nodes — Extraction manifest using source_of:: predicates. Lists all form-typed sections as extraction targets, tracking which have been extracted and which remain embedded.

Form-typed sections follow their target form type’s structural contract. A section marked is_a::[\[\[Pattern Form\]\]](Pattern%20Form.html) should have Context, Forces, Solution, Consequences. A section marked is_a::[\[\[Model Form\]\]](Model%20Form.html) should have elements and relationships.

Why Not Thesis-Driven

Academic papers argue a position: thesis → evidence → conclusion. Research forms investigate a question and produce garden nodes. The distinction matters:

• A thesis biases toward confirmation. Starting with a claim to defend shapes which findings get typed and which get overlooked. The garden’s extraction model works better when findings are typed during synthesis, not filtered through a predetermined argument.
• The “conclusion” is the extraction manifest. Findings distribute across form-typed sections that become standalone nodes. There is no concluding section because the value migrates outward — the research form’s job is to produce nodes, not to persuade.
• Provisional framing replaces thesis. The overview states a provisional read that may be revised as form-typed sections develop. This is closer to a working hypothesis than a thesis — it orients without constraining.

A research form that hardens into arguing a single position has probably found a Decision or Conviction, not more research to do.

Naming Heuristic

Topic of investigation + architectural or domain framing. “Research Graphs and Precinct Architecture” not “Notes on Cornelius Article.”

Depletion Lifecycle

Research forms have a lifecycle distinct from other garden forms:

1. Active — Growing through investigation. New form-typed sections added as findings emerge. has_status::[\[\[Growing Stage\]\]](Growing%20Stage.html).
2. Extracting — Findings stable enough to become standalone nodes. Individual sections extract via the source_of:: / extracted_from:: provenance pair. The extraction manifest tracks progress.
3. Depleted — Most or all form-typed sections have been extracted. The research note retains value as a provenance anchor (where did these nodes come from?) but no longer contains unique content. has_status::[\[\[Evergreen Stage\]\]](Evergreen%20Stage.html) — the note is complete, not abandoned.

A research form that never depletes may actually be a Reference — a static briefing that doesn’t produce standalone nodes.

Typical Predicates

• is_a::[\[\[Research Form\]\]](Research%20Form.html)
• has_status::[\[\[Seed Stage\]\]](Seed%20Stage.html), [\[\[Growing Stage\]\]](Growing%20Stage.html), or [\[\[Evergreen Stage\]\]](Evergreen%20Stage.html)
• in_domain::[\[\[Deep Context Architecture\]\]](../domains/Deep%20Context%20Architecture.html)
• source_of::[[Extracted Form]]↑ — tracks what was extracted from this research
• extends::[\[\[Inquiry Form\]\]](Inquiry%20Form.html) — the inquiry that drove this investigation
• relates_to::[\[\[Citation Form\]\]](Citation%20Form.html) — sources consulted during research

Category

Generative form — research produces other garden nodes. Paired with Inquiry Form: inquiries pose questions, research forms investigate them.

Location

Research Form nodes live in Garden/research/, parallel to other form-type subfolders.

Operational Use Outside the Garden

The Research Form structure works for operational research placed in Research/ rather than Garden/research/. In this mode, form-typed sections with is_a:: predicates serve as structural labels organizing findings by knowledge type — but the sections are not extraction targets. The extraction manifest describes the document’s structure without implying future garden node creation.

This dual mode reflects the form’s portability: the structural contract (overview, form-typed sections, research gaps, sources, relations) organizes any investigation, whether it feeds the garden graph or serves a handoff.

Exemplars

• [[Research Graphs and Precinct Architecture]]↑ — investigates whether research needs its own precinct, with 7 form-typed sections (garden use, extracting)
• [[Remote Session Multiplexing for macOS and iTerm2]]↑ — evaluates session persistence tools for handoff response, with 9 form-typed sections (operational use in Research/, non-extracting)

Relations

• relates_to::[[Inquiry Form]]
  • Inquiries drive research; research answers inquiries. An inquiry may spawn multiple research forms.
• relates_to::[[Reference Form]]
  • References are static briefings; research forms are living investigations. Research may produce a Reference as a stable output.
• relates_to::[[Citation Form]]
  • Citations are evidence consumed by research. The research form’s provenance chains connect through citations.
• relates_to::[[Extraction Model for Garden Migration]]↑
  • Research forms are primary extraction targets — the extraction model governs how form-typed sections become standalone nodes.
• relates_to::[[Opus Form]] — research findings may feed insights presented in opuses

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