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How SciAI Works

Research progresses through 12 defined stages, from initial intake to final publication. At each stage, SciAI captures checkpoints, logs agent actions, and maintains full provenance.

12 Stages from Intake to Publish

Each stage represents a distinct phase of research. Transitions are tracked, and you can always see where your project stands.

S0Intake

Project setup and initial requirements

Define your research question, scope, and constraints. Create your project and configure initial settings.

S1Plan

Mission planning and task decomposition

Break your research into missions. The Planner agent helps decompose complex goals into actionable tasks.

S2Literature

Paper search and claim extraction

Search PubMed, upload PDFs, and extract claims. The Literature agent helps identify relevant papers and key findings.

S3Synthesis

Knowledge consolidation and patterns

Connect claims across papers. Identify patterns, contradictions, and gaps in the existing research.

S4Protocol

Method design and pre-registration

Define your statistical methods. Pre-register hypotheses. Lock confirmatory analyses to separate from exploratory work.

S5Data

Data collection and ingestion

Upload datasets, define schemas, and link to sources. All data ingestion is logged with provenance.

S6QC

Quality control and validation

The QC agent validates data quality. Flag issues, run checks, and approve data before analysis.

S7Analysis

Statistical analysis execution

Execute analysis scripts. Run meta-analyses, calculate effect sizes, test hypotheses. All runs are logged.

S8Figures

Visualization generation

Generate forest plots, tables, and diagrams. Visualizations link back to the analyses that produced them.

S9Manuscript

Writing and citations

The Manuscript agent helps draft sections. Citations are automatically linked to your library with proper formatting.

S10Review

Internal review and revisions

The Reviewer agent provides critical feedback. Collect comments, address issues, and finalize your manuscript.

S11Publish

Final output and archival

Generate final outputs, export manuscripts, and archive your project with complete provenance records.

Confirmatory vs Exploratory

Separate your pre-registered, hypothesis-testing work from exploratory analysis. This distinction is captured in the provenance trail.

Confirmatory Lane

Pre-registered analyses that test specific hypotheses. Once locked, changes require formal deviation workflows with rationale and approval.

  • Pre-registered protocols
  • Locked analysis plans
  • Deviation tracking
  • Approval gates

Exploratory Lane

Open-ended exploration and hypothesis generation. Actions are still logged, but with more flexibility for iteration.

  • Unrestricted exploration
  • Rapid iteration
  • Labeled as exploratory
  • Clear separation from confirmatory

The Audit Spine

Every action in SciAI contributes to a complete audit trail. From data ingestion to final publication, the provenance is preserved.

Inputs
Agent Runs
Artifacts
Approvals
Checkpoints

Papers, datasets, and missions flow through agent runs → producing artifacts → requiring approvals → graduating to stage checkpoints.

Full History

Every run, decision, and change is logged

Immutable When Locked

Locked artifacts can't be silently changed

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