From a question to a reproducible experiment

Writing template. The equation and command below are illustrative. No experiment has been run and no result is claimed.

Make the comparison explicit

Begin with a baseline and one proposed change. Define the unit of comparison and the evaluation conditions before collecting evidence.

For example, the difference in an average score could be written as

Here, $N$ is the number of paired evaluation cases. The meaning of each score, the choice of cases, and uncertainty in the estimate must be explained in the actual experiment.

Preserve the run

Keep configuration beside the code. A future project might expose a command like this:

# Illustrative interface; this command is not part of this blog.
python evaluate.py --config experiments/baseline.yaml --seed 42

A single seed documents one run; it does not establish robustness. Choose repetition and uncertainty reporting to match the research question.

Attach the evidence

• Link the exact code revision and configuration.
• Specify data versions, dependencies, and relevant hardware.
• Preserve raw measurements and the script that produces the analysis.
• State what was excluded, and why.

Explain the next decision

Close the loop between evidence and action. What does this observation justify trying next? Which assumptions remain untested? What would make you reconsider the interpretation?

A reproducible result should make those questions easier for another reader to examine.