About this guide
- Author: Michael Rowe (ORCID; mrowe@lincoln.ac.uk)
- Affiliation: University of Lincoln
- Created: May 28, 2026
- Format: One-page reference guide (PDF)
- License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
The research harness framework argues that the characteristic problems of AI use in doctoral research are not problems of policy or capability; they are problems of working with an agent in the absence of a defined operating context. This guide gives doctoral researchers and supervisors a concise reference for the framework’s seven components and a practical starting point for building a harness of their own.
It condenses the harness framework into a single-page reference card for doctoral researchers and supervisors. It covers the seven components of a harness — knowledge base, interpretive permissions, tools, authority, scope register, process record, and amendment protocol — with brief descriptions of what each component does and how to start building one.
Preview
How to use it
Print or save the guide and keep it alongside your project materials. Each component has a brief description and a start prompt; a single sentence you can write to get something workable from day one. The harness doesn’t need to be complete before it’s useful; one sentence per component is enough to begin.
Discuss the harness with your supervisor. It is designed as a shared artefact: something for researcher and supervisor to negotiate together, not a private document.
The guide is derived from the full essay: The research harness: a framework for bounded AI use in doctoral work.