Assumptions and Inference

No research is assumption-free. The danger lies in assumptions that operate invisibly.

QLens distinguishes at least three forms:

1. Method assumptions — what a method presumes about measurement, language, causality, or sampling.
2. Context assumptions — what is presumed about the situation being studied.
3. Inference assumptions — what must be true for evidence to support a conclusion.

Assumptions should be recorded where their failure would materially change the outcome. They may later become questions or targets of verification.

An honest reasoning record does not merely state why a conclusion seems plausible. It also states what would make the inference fail.