Every Promptolis Original cites research. Not "experts say." Not "studies show." Specific researchers, specific books, specific findings — so you can verify, explore deeper, and use the frameworks with confidence.
This is the research catalog. 40+ frameworks we build on, organized by category, with the context for why each matters and where to dig deeper.
If you're a skeptic (good — you should be), this is for you.
Why research citations matter in AI prompts
AI models are pattern-matchers. They produce plausible-sounding outputs from training data. Without grounding in real research, outputs drift toward "sounds right" generic advice.
When we cite Gottman's Four Horsemen in the breakup-decision-framework Original, the output locks to Gottman's specific clinical markers: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling. When we cite Hamilton Helmer's 7 Powers in the moat-analysis-framework, the analysis stays disciplined to Helmer's specific framework — not vibes about "competitive advantage."
Citations anchor the AI. They make outputs auditable. If you disagree with the conclusion, you can trace back to the source and argue with the framework itself.
Here's every major framework we reference.
Relationships & Life
Gottman's Four Horsemen
Source: John Gottman, University of Washington "Love Lab," 40+ years of longitudinal couples research.
Framework: The 4 communication patterns that predict divorce with 91-94% accuracy:
- Criticism — character attacks vs. specific behavior
- Contempt — mockery, disgust, eye-rolling (strongest single predictor)
- Defensiveness — deflecting blame
- Stonewalling — emotional withdrawal
Where we use it: breakup-decision-framework, relationship-conflict-mediator, couples-money-conversation-script
Why it matters: gives couples a diagnostic vocabulary for their own patterns. Contempt present = urgent intervention signal.
Where to explore: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work (Gottman & Silver) or Gottman Institute research library.
Scott Stanley's PREP Program
Source: 30+ years of premarital relationship research from PREP (Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program).
Framework: Premarital relationship education that includes "the hard conversations" — kids, money, careers, values — before engagement reduces divorce rate 30-40%.
Where we use it: pre-engagement-conversation-guide
Why it matters: most couples skip these conversations. Structured pre-engagement work makes marriages durable.
Terrence Real's Relational Life Therapy
Source: The New Rules of Marriage (Real, 2007). Founder of Relational Life Institute.
Framework: Partner-defends-their-own principle. You handle your parents; your partner handles their parents. Plus the concept of differentiation from origin family.
Where we use it: in-laws-navigation-playbook, family-visit-navigator
Dunbar's Number
Source: Robin Dunbar, Oxford evolutionary anthropology.
Framework: Humans can maintain ~150 stable social relationships. Inner circles: 5 (closest), 15 (good friends), 50 (friends), 150 (acquaintances).
Where we use it: friendship-audit-framework
Why it matters: prescribes realistic friendship math. You can't have 400 close friends. The number is the number.
Robert Stafford's Long-Distance Research
Source: Communications research on long-distance relationships.
Framework: Specific findings on idealization (LDR partners idealize each other), reintegration challenges, and protective factors.
Where we use it: long-distance-relationship-protocol
Writing & Editing
Vivian Gornick's "Situation and the Story"
Source: The Situation and the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative (Gornick, 2001).
Framework: In memoir, the situation (external events) is separate from the story (internal meaning). Great memoir finds the story hidden in the situation.
Where we use it: memoir-scene-reconstructor
Mary Karr's "Art of Memoir"
Source: The Art of Memoir (Karr, 2015). Three-time bestselling memoirist.
Framework: Memory is narratively coherent, not forensically accurate. Signal confidence tiers (verified / probable / imagined). Ethics of writing about real people.
Where we use it: memoir-scene-reconstructor
Save the Cat + Story Grid (Synthesized 15-Beat Structure)
Source: Blake Snyder (Save the Cat, 2005) + Shawn Coyne (The Story Grid, 2015).
Framework: Commercial fiction's 15 structural beats: Opening Image, Theme Stated, Setup, Catalyst, Debate, Break Into Two, B-Story, Fun and Games, Midpoint, Bad Guys Close In, All Is Lost, Dark Night of the Soul, Break Into Three, Finale, Final Image.
Where we use it: fiction-novel-plot-skeleton
Why it matters: every commercial novel hits these beats. First drafts that skip beats stall mid-book.
April Dunford's "Obviously Awesome"
Source: Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning (Dunford, 2019).
Framework: 6-element positioning structure (target, category, differentiator, reason-to-believe, tone, proof). Positioning against alternatives, not in vacuum.
Where we use it: brand-positioning-statement
Productivity & Systems
Cal Newport's Deep Work (4 Philosophies)
Source: Deep Work (Newport, 2016). Georgetown computer science professor.
Framework: 4 philosophies of deep work scheduling:
- Monastic — eliminate shallow entirely
- Bimodal — split weeks into deep/shallow
- Rhythmic — daily 2-4 hour deep blocks
- Journalistic — fit deep work into whatever windows exist
Where we use it: deep-work-scheduling-system
Why it matters: match philosophy to your life, not copy someone else's schedule.
Gloria Mark's Attention Research
Source: Gloria Mark, UC Irvine. Attention Span (2023). 20+ years studying knowledge worker attention.
Framework: 23 minutes average time to recover focus after an interruption. Attention residue. Multitasking's cognitive cost.
Where we use it: deep-work-scheduling-system, focus-training-protocol
Ultradian Rhythm Research (90-Minute Cycles)
Source: Nathan Kleitman's ultradian rhythm research + Anders Ericsson's deliberate practice work.
Framework: Human cognitive performance cycles in 90-120 minute waves. Peak performance within each cycle, then rest needed.
Where we use it: deep-work-scheduling-system
Paul Graham's Maker vs. Manager Schedule
Source: Paul Graham essay, "Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule" (2009).
Framework: Makers need uninterrupted half-day blocks. Managers operate on hour-by-hour schedules. Mixing destroys maker productivity.
Where we use it: time-block-calendar-architect, meeting-reduction-protocol
John Doerr's OKR Methodology
Source: Measure What Matters (Doerr, 2018). Venture capitalist who brought Intel's OKR system to Google.
Framework: Objectives (qualitative, aspirational) + Key Results (quantitative, measurable). 3-5 objectives per period. 70% hit rate targets.
Where we use it: personal-okr-framework, annual-planning-framework
David Allen's GTD (Getting Things Done)
Source: Getting Things Done (Allen, 2001).
Framework: 5-step workflow (capture, clarify, organize, reflect, engage). Weekly review as non-negotiable. 2-minute rule.
Where we use it: gtd-implementation-pro
Business & Strategy
Hamilton Helmer's 7 Powers
Source: 7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy (Helmer, 2016).
Framework: 7 types of durable competitive advantage:
- Scale Economies
- Network Economies
- Counter-Positioning
- Switching Costs
- Branding
- Cornered Resource
- Process Power
Where we use it: moat-analysis-framework
Why it matters: most claimed "moats" aren't moats. The 7 Powers framework tests rigor.
Richard Rumelt's "Good Strategy Bad Strategy"
Source: Good Strategy Bad Strategy (Rumelt, 2011). UCLA Anderson strategy professor.
Framework: "Kernel of good strategy" = diagnosis + guiding policy + coherent actions. Bad strategy = fluff, failure to face challenges, mistaking goals for strategy.
Where we use it: swot-plus-analysis, strategic-retreat-facilitator
Roger Martin's "Playing to Win"
Source: Playing to Win (Martin & Lafley, 2013).
Framework: 5 strategic choices: where to play, how to win, what capabilities needed, what management systems needed, what's our winning aspiration.
Where we use it: strategic-retreat-facilitator, market-entry-decision
Alexander Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas
Source: Business Model Generation (Osterwalder & Pigneur, 2010).
Framework: 9-block canvas (customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partners, cost structure). We added 3 modern blocks: Data Assets, Platform Effects, AI Integration.
Where we use it: business-model-canvas-rebuild
Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter
Source: Peter Van Westendorp, Dutch economist (1976).
Framework: 4 questions reveal price sensitivity:
- At what price too expensive to consider?
- At what price too cheap to trust?
- At what price expensive but still buy?
- At what price a bargain?
Where we use it: pricing-strategy-matrix
Sean Ellis on North Star Metric
Source: Sean Ellis — growth marketing pioneer, coined "growth hacking."
Framework: One metric that, if optimized, drives long-term company value. Not revenue (outcome). Leading indicator specific to your business.
Where we use it: metric-framework-design
Sales & Revenue
MEDDICC (Sales Qualification)
Source: Jack Napoli, developed at PTC, refined across enterprise sales.
Framework: Qualification dimensions — Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain, Champion, Competition.
Where we use it: discovery-call-structure-pro, pipeline-forecast-calibrator
Chris Voss's "Never Split the Difference"
Source: Never Split the Difference (Voss, 2016). Former FBI hostage negotiator.
Framework: Tactical empathy. Mirroring. Labeling. Calibrated questions. "No" as starting point.
Where we use it: negotiation-playbook-enterprise
Getting to Yes (Fisher & Ury)
Source: Getting to Yes (Fisher & Ury, 1981). Harvard Negotiation Project.
Framework: Principled negotiation. Separate people from problem. Focus on interests, not positions. BATNA (Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement).
Where we use it: negotiation-playbook-enterprise
Jonah Berger on Contagious Content
Source: Contagious: Why Things Catch On (Berger, 2013). Wharton professor.
Framework: STEPPS model — Social currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical value, Stories.
Where we use it: Content strategy guidance across Marketing Originals.
Marketing & Content
Newsletter Growth Patterns (Research Sample)
Source: Analysis of top Substack newsletters (Packy McCormick, Ben Thompson, Anne Helen Petersen, Ted Gioia) + ConvertKit + Beehiiv benchmarks.
Framework: 5-part post structure (hook → stakes → content → turn → close). Open rate 40%+ for top-decile. Share rate 3%+ drives organic growth.
Where we use it: newsletter-growth-structure
Ahrefs SEO Research + Google SGE Analysis
Source: Ahrefs published data on topic clusters + Google's Search Generative Experience rollout.
Framework: Topic cluster strategy (hub + spoke) outperforms individual keyword targeting post-BERT. Answer engine optimization (AEO) matters.
Where we use it: seo-keyword-cluster-mapper
Shopify Meeting Reduction Experiment (2023)
Source: Shopify publicly shared results of cutting recurring meetings.
Framework: Cutting unnecessary meetings recovered significant productivity time across the organization.
Where we use it: meeting-reduction-protocol
Healthcare & Medical
Christina Maslach's Burnout Inventory
Source: Christina Maslach, UC Berkeley psychology. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI).
Framework: 3 dimensions of burnout:
- Emotional exhaustion — depletion, can't recover
- Depersonalization — cynicism, detachment
- Reduced personal accomplishment — feeling ineffective
Where we use it: clinician-burnout-prevention
Pat Croskerry on Diagnostic Reasoning
Source: Pat Croskerry, Dalhousie University. Research on cognitive biases in medicine.
Framework: Dual-process theory applied to clinical reasoning. 5 main biases: anchoring, availability, confirmation, premature closure, search satisficing.
Where we use it: differential-diagnosis-workflow
I-PASS Handoff Protocol
Source: Boston Children's Hospital. Published research on handoff safety.
Framework: Illness severity, Patient summary, Action list, Situation awareness + contingencies, Synthesis by receiver. Reduces preventable adverse events 30%+.
Where we use it: clinical-handoff-protocol
CDC Health Literacy Standards + AHRQ
Source: CDC Clear Communication Index + AHRQ health literacy research.
Framework: 6-8th grade reading level for patient materials. Plain language replacements. Teach-back method for comprehension.
Where we use it: patient-education-writer
SBAR + Joint Commission Standards
Source: Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation framework. Joint Commission patient safety goals.
Framework: Structured communication for rapid clinical situations.
Where we use it: clinical-handoff-protocol, soap-note-structure
Money & Finance
Behavioral Finance (Thaler, Shefrin)
Source: Richard Thaler (Nobel 2017) + Hersh Shefrin. Behavioral economics research.
Framework: Mental accounting, loss aversion, present bias affect financial decisions. Design interventions around actual human behavior, not rational-actor models.
Where we use it: emergency-fund-right-sizer, debt-payoff-strategy-selector
IRS Publications (Tax Law Citations)
Source: IRS Code + Publications. Specifically Section 1202 (QSBS), Section 1091 (wash sale), 83(b) election rules.
Framework: Specific tax law provisions with real financial implications for startup equity, tax-loss harvesting, and entity formation.
Where we use it: startup-equity-compensation-decoder, tax-loss-harvesting-guide, business-formation-decision
NYT Rent-vs-Buy Calculator Methodology
Source: New York Times Rent vs. Buy calculator — well-established methodology.
Framework: Full-cost comparison including opportunity cost of down payment, maintenance, taxes, transaction costs. Breaks even typically at 5-7 years.
Where we use it: real-estate-vs-index-fund
AI Agents & Automation
Anthropic's MCP (Model Context Protocol)
Source: Anthropic's official MCP specification + SDK documentation.
Framework: Standardized protocol for connecting Claude to external tools and data sources. Tools, resources, prompts as primitives. stdio/HTTP/SSE transports.
Where we use it: mcp-server-builder-starter
Skills Architecture (Anthropic)
Source: Anthropic's skills design docs. Progressive disclosure principle.
Framework: SKILL.md entry point + references (loaded as needed) + scripts. Invocation description determines whether Claude uses the skill correctly.
Where we use it: claude-skill-designer
Observability Patterns (Langfuse, OpenTelemetry)
Source: Langfuse documentation + OpenTelemetry standards + production LLM deployment patterns.
Framework: 6-layer observability: invocation trace, tool-call spans, prompt-response logs, cost attribution, eval pipeline, alerting.
Where we use it: ai-agent-observability-stack
Data & Analytics
A/B Testing Statistics (Evan Miller, Optimizely)
Source: Evan Miller's sample-size calculators + Optimizely/Mixpanel best practices.
Framework: Sample size before testing. Statistical power. Peeking prevention. Effect size over p-value.
Where we use it: ab-test-design-rigor
Cohort Analysis (Lean Analytics, Andrew Chen)
Source: Lean Analytics (Croll & Yoskovitz, 2013) + Andrew Chen's growth work.
Framework: Cohort retention reveals business truth that aggregate metrics hide. Curve shape matters as much as absolute numbers.
Where we use it: cohort-retention-analysis
SOC 2 + HIPAA + GDPR Frameworks
Source: AICPA SOC 2 framework. HHS OCR HIPAA guidance. GDPR Article 28 + 32 + 33.
Framework: Compliance requirements for data handling, security controls, breach notification.
Where we use it: regulatory-compliance-checker, data-processing-agreement
Legal
Bar Association Practice Management Resources
Source: State bar risk management programs + AICPA practice management.
Framework: Client intake red flags, engagement letter discipline, malpractice avoidance patterns.
Where we use it: law-firm-intake-qualifier, accounting-client-onboarding-system
GDPR + CCPA + State Privacy Laws
Source: EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR). California Civil Code 1798.100+ (CCPA/CPRA). Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut, Utah privacy laws (2023-2024).
Framework: Data subject rights, breach notification, international transfers (SCCs), cookie consent, children's data.
Where we use it: privacy-policy-gdpr-compliant, data-processing-agreement
Cross-Cutting Frameworks
Murray Bowen's Family Systems Theory
Source: Bowen Center for the Study of the Family. Murray Bowen, psychiatrist.
Framework: Differentiation of self from origin family. Multigenerational transmission. Triangles.
Where we use it: in-laws-navigation-playbook, family-visit-navigator
Esther Perel on Modern Relationships
Source: Esther Perel, couples therapist. Mating in Captivity (2006), The State of Affairs (2017).
Framework: Desire + eroticism in long-term relationships. Post-affair dynamics. Modern relationship complexity.
Where we use it: relationship-counseling-self-diagnostic, breakup-decision-framework
Bessel van der Kolk on Trauma
Source: The Body Keeps the Score (van der Kolk, 2014).
Framework: How trauma manifests somatically and affects relationships. Treatment approaches.
Where we use it: Relationships Originals (trauma-aware framing).
Lincoln Murphy on Customer Success
Source: Lincoln Murphy — customer success thought leader.
Framework: Customer success as driving desired outcomes for customers. NRR + expansion focus.
Where we use it: churn-save-conversation
Madhavan Ramanujam on Pricing
Source: Monetizing Innovation (Ramanujam & Tacke, 2016). Simon-Kucher partner.
Framework: Price before product. Willingness-to-pay research. Packaging as pricing lever.
Where we use it: pricing-strategy-matrix
How to use this research catalog
If you're evaluating a Promptolis Original: check which frameworks it's built on. If you trust the frameworks, trust the prompt. If you have better frameworks, adapt.
If you're building your own prompts: this catalog is a starting point for research-backed frameworks. Each could anchor a prompt in your own domain.
If you're learning: work backwards. Pick a framework (say, Gottman's 4 Horsemen). Read the source. Then come back and see how we operationalized it in a prompt. The gap between theory and working prompt is the craft.
A note on uncertainty
Not every citation is equally solid. Some research has been replicated many times (Gottman, Maslach). Some is relatively newer (Balban's physiological sigh, 2023). Some is practitioner wisdom codified into frameworks (Dunford's positioning, Helmer's 7 Powers) rather than peer-reviewed research per se.
We make the sourcing explicit so you can calibrate. If the finding matters to you, verify the source. We've done our part by citing specifically, not vaguely.
What we don't cite
To stay honest, here's what we explicitly avoid:
- "Studies show..." without specific citation
- "Research proves..." when it's actually practitioner consensus
- Unverified statistics (e.g., exact revenue numbers from specific companies we haven't verified)
- Claims that sound specific but aren't traceable
When an Original uses illustrative numbers in an example (e.g., "Vercel saved 12 hours/week of senior engineer time"), those are composite or simplified for pedagogical clarity — not claims about specific company numbers.
Research-backed means sourced. Sourced means auditable. Auditable means trustworthy.
Browse the Originals
Every Promptolis Original references these frameworks explicitly. Browse all 336 Originals or explore by category:
- Relationships & Life — Gottman, Stanley, Real, Dunbar
- Writing & Editing — Gornick, Karr, Snyder, Dunford
- Productivity & Systems — Newport, Mark, Graham, Doerr, Allen
- Business & Strategy — Helmer, Rumelt, Martin, Osterwalder, Van Westendorp
- Sales & Revenue — MEDDICC, Voss, Fisher & Ury
- Marketing & Content — Berger, Ahrefs, Shopify
- Healthcare & Medical — Maslach, Croskerry, I-PASS, CDC
- Money & Finance — Thaler, Shefrin, IRS, NYT
- AI Agents & Automation — Anthropic, Langfuse, OpenTelemetry
- Data & Analytics — Miller, Croll, SOC 2, GDPR
- Legal — GDPR, CCPA, State Privacy Laws, IRS
336 prompts. 40+ research frameworks. Every claim citable.
That's the point.