Research Programme

The SRF (Structural Reconstructability Framework) Research Programme develops a formal theory of problem identity in scientific inquiry. Its central aim is to clarify a presupposition that is often left implicit in discussions of reproducibility: before evaluating whether a result has been reproduced, one must first determine whether the same problem has been addressed.

The programme argues that many so-called failures of reproducibility are, in fact, failures of problem identity. Without a precise account of what constitutes "the same problem," reproducibility assessments remain conceptually underdetermined.

Contemporary debates on the reproducibility crisis focus primarily on statistical reliability, methodological transparency, and experimental rigor. While these factors are undoubtedly important, they presuppose that the investigations being compared are directed at an identical problem.

However, this presupposition is rarely examined. Scientific problems are typically described in natural language, which does not provide sufficient resources to determine whether two problem instances are structurally identical. As a result, reproducibility failures may be misdiagnosed.

The SRF addresses this gap by providing a formal framework for the individuation and comparison of problems.

The central thesis of the programme is:

Reproducibility evaluation presupposes problem identity.

To make this thesis precise, the SRF models a scientific problem as a triple M = (S, τ, Γ), where S is the state space (the set of distinguishable data states), τ is the transition structure (the dynamic relations between states), and Γ is the constraint set (the boundary conditions and admissibility criteria that individuate the problem). Two problems M₁ and M₂ are identical if and only if there exists a structural isomorphism between them — that is, a bijection that jointly preserves all three components.

This isomorphism condition yields three independently necessary preservation requirements: Condition D (data preservation), Condition T (transition preservation), and Condition C (constraint preservation). The joint satisfaction of these DTC conditions, under an additional methodological constraint (Condition E), provides the criterion for reconstructability and thus for problem identity.

The logical structure of this argument — from the definition of problem spaces through the DTC conditions to reconstructability — is set out in full in the logic diagram for Paper I.

View Logic Diagram →

The programme contributes to philosophy of science and formal epistemology by:

• Providing a formal criterion for problem identity
• Distinguishing failures of reproducibility from failures of problem identity
• Offering a structural framework applicable across scientific domains
• Reframing the reproducibility crisis at a conceptual level

Paper I (Problem Identity) is available on this site. Subsequent papers on transformation and distance are in preparation.

Problem Identity  ·  Reproducibility  ·  Structural Isomorphism  ·  Formal Epistemology  ·  Philosophy of Science