{"id":611,"slug":"rule-research-first-sequence-foundation-before-article","title":"RULE: Foundation research before article, article before marketing page. Never write the marketing page first.","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","claude-code","candid-team"],"topics":["knowledge-base","agency-methodology","editorial-discipline"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** All Candid Creative content for client work and Candid's own marketing follows the **research-first sequence**: Stage 1 (foundation research, atomic notes, fully sourced + confidence-labeled) → Stage 2 (synthesis outline) → Stage 3 (public article, derived) → Stage 4 (marketing page, linked to article). **Never reverse the sequence — never start at Stage 4 and retrofit citations.**\n\n**Why:**\n- Research-heavy content written backward from a marketing brief is still backward ([[research-brief-research-before-pages]])\n- The KB-as-RAG-corpus shift (2025-2026) means foundation research is now infrastructure for the writer's own AI assistant, not just a paper-trail\n- Casey Newton April 2026 retreat ([[newton-platformer-retreat-from-daily-april-2026]]) is the strongest signal that AI commoditizes daily synthesis — original depth is the only durable advantage\n- Confidence labels work only when applied at the research stage; retrofitting them after the marketing copy is written is editorial theater, not discipline\n\n**How to apply:**\n- Every client engagement starts with foundation research notes (atomic, sourced, dated, confidence-labeled) in a shared Obsidian vault or the Candid KB\n- Articles are commissioned with explicit reference to the foundation notes they derive from — not from a topic brief\n- Marketing pages link to articles; articles link to research notes; research notes link to primary sources. **Credibility is one click deep, always.**\n- Diátaxis mode-check before drafting any public article ([[diataxis-framework-procida]]): tutorial / how-to / reference / explanation. Mixing modes inside one page is the most common content failure.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"research-first-workflow-stages-0-to-5","title":"Reference framework: Research-first workflow — 5 stages (Capture → Foundation → Synthesis → Article → Marketing page → Maintain)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"audience-layering-foundation-article-marketing","title":"Reference framework: audience layering — foundation research vs public article vs marketing page (3-column comparison)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"newton-platformer-retreat-from-daily-april-2026","title":"Casey Newton / Platformer retreat from daily cadence (April 2026): \"More scoops, less aggregation and analysis\" — AI commoditizes daily synthesis","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"diataxis-framework-procida","title":"Diátaxis (Daniele Procida): four documentation types — tutorials, how-to, reference, explanation","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"matuschak-evergreen-notes","title":"Andy Matuschak: evergreen notes — atomic, concept-oriented, densely linked, accreting over time","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"zuegel-epistemic-status-publishing-half-baked-ideas","title":"Devon Zuegel: epistemic-status labels are \"a hack in order to publish half-baked ideas I'd otherwise not feel comfortable sharing\"","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-research-before-pages","title":"Research brief: Research Before Pages — methodology for KB-backed websites (piece 14 of 15)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-22T20:46:33.418Z","updated_at":"2026-05-22T20:46:33.418Z"}