# Analysis Depth Guide

Move beyond “method A > method B”.

## Four-layer depth ladder

### 1. Observation
What changed?
- absolute gap
- relative gap
- stability change
- subgroup pattern

### 2. Interpretation
What is the most defensible explanation?
- optimization stability
- inductive bias match
- subject/domain shift handling
- data scarcity sensitivity

### 3. Constraint
What prevents overclaiming?
- low sample size
- only one dataset
- missing subgroup coverage
- no robustness sweep

### 4. Decision
What should happen next?
- promote into durable result note
- run an ablation
- stop an unpromising branch
- update the active plan

## Good report sentence pattern
- “We observe X.”
- “This supports Y because Z evidence is present.”
- “However, the claim is bounded by A.”
- “Therefore the next decision is B.”