How-To Guides

Operational procedures for using the Mechanistic Validity framework.

Guide	What it does
A — Audit a claim	The 5-pass procedure for evaluating any MI claim
B — Write a verdict	The full verdict-statement template with worked examples
C — Pick a mode tag	Decision tree for choosing the correct description-level tag
D — Choose an instrument	Criterion → instrument lookup table
E — Report a baseline	Baseline reporting rules (random-vector, untrained-model, published SOTA)
F — Run a convergence check	Multi-instrument agreement protocol
G — Handle disagreement	What to do when instruments diverge

Order of operations for a new claim

1. C — decide what level of claim you are making.
2. D — identify which instruments you need.
3. E — compute and report the required baselines.
4. F — check whether your instruments agree.
5. If instruments disagree → G before writing the verdict.
6. B — write the verdict statement.
7. A — audit your own claim before publishing.