Define the question
Specify the decision or documentary question and the unit of analysis before reviewing material.
METHODS & RESEARCH STANDARDS
A visible source trail. Claims kept within the record.
MAMI's documentary work is designed to make the evidence path inspectable: what was reviewed, how it was read, what the materials support, and what remains outside the inquiry.
Bound the source set
Identify source owners, document titles, versions, dates, and retrieval routes. Distinguish primary records from contextual guidance.
Preserve traceability
Use exact clause, page, section, or record identifiers so another reader can return to the evidence.
Separate evidence from interpretation
Describe what the source says before explaining what it may mean. Mark inferences as interpretations.
Record ambiguity and silence carefully
A missing item under a stated search boundary is not proof that it does not exist elsewhere or that a process does not occur in practice.
State limits and alternatives
Identify what the documents cannot establish, plausible alternative explanations, and any evidence needed to answer a broader question.
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
Use the right label for the work.
Original research identifies work conducted by Mami and links the publication or project record. Published conceptual work, proposed heuristics, and unvalidated candidate formalizations are labeled according to their current status.
Independent demonstration describes source-based analysis prepared by Mami to show a method or report format. It is not commissioned client work and does not imply an external validation.
Hypothetical illustration uses an explicitly fictional or assumed scenario to explain a possible analytical format. It is not evidence of an actual engagement or real-world outcome.
DOCUMENTARY LIMIT
Document review alone does not establish whether a policy or clause was adopted, followed, enforceable, effective, or sufficient in operation. Where those questions matter, the analysis identifies the additional evidence required rather than implying that the documents answer them.