Research quality gates

A quality gate is a documented decision point that can stop the workflow.

Status values

• PASS: no known blocking issue remains.
• CONDITIONAL PASS: non-blocking risks are documented and accepted by the researcher.
• FAIL: one or more blocking issues remain.

Required gate record

Gate:
Status:
Evidence checked:
Blocking issues:
Non-blocking risks:
Researcher decisions required:
Required next action:
Next skill:

Gate sequence

1. Question gate
2. Scope gate
3. Source gate
4. Concept gate
5. Argument gate
6. Stress-test gate
7. Citation gate
8. Submission gate

A failed gate is expected when required evidence is absent. It must never be silently converted into a pass.