# CiteGuild publisher research worksheet

Guide: https://citeguild.com/blog/original-research-methods-template
Guide updated: 2026-10-28

Save a copy and replace bracketed fields with what you actually did. Explain any field that does not apply. Complete the general methods record; keep the benchmark addendum only for a technical performance study. For surveys, also use the survey guidance in the linked article.

This blank worksheet does not validate a study, establish representativeness, prove causation or guarantee a citation. Keep confidential evidence and personal data out of published copies. Filling in this local file does not submit it to CiteGuild.

## General methods record

**Question and intended use:** We studied [specific question] to help [reader] decide [action].

**Who conducted and funded the work:** [Publisher, research owner, sponsor and relevant conflicts].

**Scope and selection:** The unit was [person/page/product/other]. We selected [actual frame or source list] covering [period and geography, where applicable], using [inclusion, exclusion and duplicate rules].

**Collection and measurement:** We collected [observations or responses] on [dates, with timezone where relevant], using [instrument, source version and operational definitions].

**Counts and calculation:** We considered [candidate count], excluded [count and reasons], and included [count]. This finding uses [eligible observations for this question]. We calculated [formula or reproducible steps], handling missing values by [rule].

**Limits and uncertainty:** The result describes [actual observed group]. It does not establish [specific broader inference]. Relevant sampling, coverage, measurement and missing-data limitations are [details].

**Evidence and corrections:** Permitted supporting material is at [stable links]. Analysis completed [date]. Corrections and method revisions are recorded at [contact or version history].

## Optional technical-benchmark addendum

**Comparison:** We compared [baseline revision] with [changed revision], changing [specific factors] and keeping [controlled factors] fixed.

**Workload and environment:** We measured [operation, inputs and concurrency] on [hardware, OS, runtime, build and dependency versions]. The metric was [definition and unit]; setup, cache and warm-up followed [rules].

**Runs and correctness:** We planned [repetitions, iterations per run or stopping rule, duration and run order]. The successful-output check was [rule]. We recorded [completed runs, errors and timeouts], retaining [per-run results] and excluding [records, with reasons].

**Result and calculation:** The baseline was [value and unit] and the changed version was [value and unit], using [summary statistic over the stated runs]. Variation was [observed spread]; any relative change uses [formula and denominator].

**Reproduction and limits:** Permitted code, inputs, commands and result files are at [versioned links]. This supports [bounded finding] for [tested conditions], not [untested workloads, user outcomes or causal claims]. Restricted material and reproduction limits are [details].