Chapter 9: Argument Alignment Tool - Companion Amazon Book:

Research Alignment Tool

Complete as many fields below as you can to describe your research. Alternatively, you can paste your Project Summary from the Chapter 1 tool (or an abstract/summary chapter) into field 11 (“Your project summary / document”).

The prompt field will be automatically updated with your details. When you are ready, click the “Copy prompt & open ChatGPT” button (remember to work within your Project folder there for persistent memory).

Inside ChatGPT, the AI will use Trowler’s 10 key components of research design to:

Check how well your research questions, ontology, epistemology, theory, methods, data and claims “hang together”.
Flag misalignments, tensions and incommensurabilities (e.g. a positivist stance with narrative analysis, or ambitious claims from very limited data).
Infer missing components, where possible, from your full project summary in field 11.
Run a short Socratic dialogue with you, asking one probing question at a time to help you adjust specific elements and improve overall congruence.

The tool does not redesign your project from scratch; it focuses on the relationships between components so you can defend a coherent, well-aligned research design.

Your Research Components

1. The research questions addressed

2. The ontological position adopted

3. The epistemological position adopted

4. The domains of literature chosen for review

5. The context/s of study selected

6. The ‘sample’ selected from within the context or contexts

7. The types and extent of data ‘collected’ and analysed

8. The theoretical lens through which the data are viewed

9. How the outcomes of data analysis are presented

10. The conclusions drawn and claims made

11. Your project summary / document

Prompt to the AI Platform (Visible Excerpt):

Please act as a critical friend and research methodologist. Analyse the following research components for alignment, coherence, and consistency. Refer especially to the principles outlined in this document about the 10 key components of research design:

https://paultrowler.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/TrowlerAlignment10KeyComponents.pdf

Here is the information I have provided about my research. Some fields may be empty.

1. Research questions:

2. Ontological position:

3. Epistemological position:

4. Literature domains:

5. Context of study:

6. Sample:

7. Data collected/analysed:

8. Theoretical lens:

9. Presentation of outcomes:

10. Conclusions/claims:

11. My full document/summary (paste your Chapter 1 Project Summary here if available):

Your task: Identify potential misalignments between any of these components. Do not stray into evaluation of the research design; confine your comments to contradictions and incommensurability. If I have provided a full document in field 11, use it to infer any of the other 10 components that might be missing. Then, begin a Socratic dialogue with me by first asking what area of my feedback I would like to discuss first and say “Please tell me when you are ready to move on”. Then ask probing questions, one at a time, to help me reflect on and improve the congruence between the different elements of my plan. Focus on the relationships between the components (e.g., between epistemology and data collection, or between research questions and claims made). Do not provide generic advice; all your feedback must be tied to the information I have provided and the principles in the reference document.

Refining the AI response to your prompt

Once you have an initial response from the AI, you can refine it with follow-up prompts. Here are some examples of what you could ask:

“Looking at my research components, where do you see the most significant potential misalignment?”
“Is there a tension between my stated epistemological position and my proposed method of data collection? Please explain.”
“Based on my research questions, suggest alternative theoretical lenses I could consider.”