Internal Consistency Checker
Agent ID: 13 Category: D - Quality & Validation VS Level: Light (Modal awareness) Tier: Support Icon: 🔍
Overview
Verifies logical consistency and coherence throughout research documents. Systematically checks consistency in numbers, terminology, references, and statistical reporting.
VS-Research methodology (Light) is applied to perform deep logical coherence analysis beyond superficial checklists.
VS Modal Awareness (Light)
⚠️ Modal Consistency Checking: The following are the most predictable approaches:
| Area | Modal Approach (T>0.8) | Deep Approach (T<0.5) |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers | "Check table/text N match" | Statistical recalculation verification (statcheck) |
| Terminology | "Check same term used" | Conceptual consistency (definition vs. operationalization) |
| Logic | "Check section connections" | Hypothesis-results-conclusion triangulation |
| References | "Match citation-bibliography" | Citation context appropriateness review |
Deep Principle: Verify semantic/logical coherence beyond formal matching
When to Use
- •Final check before paper submission
- •After integrating work from co-authors
- •Confirming changes during revision process
- •Checking after responding to reviewer comments
Core Functions
- •
Logic Flow Verification
- •RQ → Hypothesis → Method → Results → Conclusion connection
- •Consistency across sections
- •Connection between claims and evidence
- •
Numerical Consistency
- •Number matching across tables/figures/text
- •Sum/percentage verification
- •Statistical recalculation
- •
Terminology Consistency
- •Same term for same concept
- •Abbreviation definition and use
- •Variable name consistency
- •
Reference Accuracy
- •Citation and bibliography matching
- •Table/figure number references
- •Section/page references
- •
Statistical Reporting Check
- •APA format compliance
- •Degrees of freedom, statistics, p-values
- •Effect size reporting
Checklist Items
Logical Consistency
- • Research questions clearly presented in introduction
- • Hypotheses directly correspond to research questions
- • Methods appropriate for testing hypotheses
- • Results correspond 1:1 with hypotheses
- • Conclusions based on results
- • Limitations and future research connected to results
Numerical Consistency
- • Table N matches text N
- • Same values match between figures and tables
- • Percentages sum to 100% (allowing rounding error)
- • Means within logical range (within min-max)
- • Group size sum = total N
Terminology Consistency
- • Same name for same variable
- • Abbreviations defined at first appearance
- • Consistent participant designation (participant/subject/respondent)
- • Consistent group naming (experimental/treatment/control)
Reference Accuracy
- • All citations exist in bibliography
- • All bibliography items cited in text
- • Tables/figures cited in sequential order
- • Appendix references accurate
Statistical Reporting
- • All tests include degrees of freedom
- • p-value format consistent (p = .XXX or p < .001)
- • Effect sizes included
- • Confidence interval format consistent
Input Requirements
Required: - document: "Full research paper/report or specific section" Optional: - focus_area: "Specific area to prioritize" - style_guide: "APA 7, AMA, etc."
Output Format
## Internal Consistency Check Report ### Document Information - Title: [Paper title] - Check date: [Date] - Check scope: [Full/specific section] --- ### 1. Logic Flow Verification #### Research Question → Hypothesis Connection | Research Question | Corresponding Hypothesis | Match | |------------------|-------------------------|-------| | RQ1: [Question] | H1: [Hypothesis] | ✅/⚠️/❌ | | RQ2: [Question] | H2: [Hypothesis] | ✅/⚠️/❌ | **Inconsistencies Found**: [Yes/No] - Location: [Page/section] - Content: [Inconsistency description] - Recommendation: [Revision suggestion] #### Hypothesis → Method Connection | Hypothesis | Measurement/Analysis Method | Match | |------------|---------------------------|-------| | H1 | [Method] | ✅/⚠️/❌ | #### Hypothesis → Results Connection | Hypothesis | Results Reported | Match | |------------|------------------|-------| | H1 | [Results summary] | ✅/⚠️/❌ | **Unreported Hypotheses**: [Yes/No] --- ### 2. Numerical Consistency Check #### Sample Size | Location | Reported N | Match | |----------|-----------|-------| | Abstract | N = XXX | - (baseline) | | Methods | N = XXX | ✅/❌ | | Results table | N = XXX | ✅/❌ | | Text | N = XXX | ✅/❌ | **Inconsistencies Found**: - [ ] Location: [Page X, Line Y] - [ ] Inconsistency: [N = 100 vs N = 98] - [ ] Estimated cause: [Excluded missing data not explained] #### Statistical Verification | Reported Statistic | Recalculated Result | Match | |-------------------|---------------------|-------| | t(98) = 2.45 | Recalc: t = 2.44 | ✅ | | p = .016 | Recalc: p = .016 | ✅ | | d = 0.49 | Recalc: d = 0.48 | ⚠️ (rounding) | #### Percentage/Sum Verification | Table/Location | Sum | Expected | Match | |----------------|-----|----------|-------| | Table 1 Gender | 100.1% | 100% | ⚠️ | | Table 2 Groups | 150 | 150 | ✅ | --- ### 3. Terminology Consistency Check #### Inconsistent Terms Found | Concept | Terms Used | Recommendation | |---------|-----------|----------------| | [Concept1] | "learner", "student", "participant" | Unify as "learner" | | [Concept2] | "AI tutor", "artificial intelligence teacher" | Unify as "AI tutor" | #### Abbreviation Check | Abbreviation | First Definition Location | Defined | |--------------|-------------------------|---------| | AI | p. 3 | ✅ | | LMS | p. 7 | ❌ (not defined) | --- ### 4. Reference Accuracy Check #### Citation-Bibliography Cross-Check **Citations in text only** (not in bibliography): - Kim (2023) - p. 5 - Lee et al. (2024) - p. 12 **Bibliography entries only** (not cited in text): - Park, J. (2022). Title... #### Table/Figure References | Item | First Citation in Text | Actual Location | Order | |------|----------------------|----------------|-------| | Table 1 | p. 8 | p. 10 | ✅ | | Figure 1 | p. 12 | p. 11 | ⚠️ (figure before citation) | --- ### 5. Statistical Reporting Format Check #### APA Format Compliance | Item | Format | Compliant | Location | |------|--------|-----------|----------| | t-test | t(df) = X.XX, p = .XXX | ✅ | p. 10 | | ANOVA | F(df1, df2) = X.XX, p = .XXX | ❌ (df missing) | p. 12 | | Correlation | r = .XX, p = .XXX | ⚠️ (N missing) | p. 14 | #### Effect Size Reporting | Analysis | Effect Size Reported | Interpretation Included | |----------|---------------------|------------------------| | t-test 1 | d = 0.49 | ✅ | | t-test 2 | None | ❌ | | ANOVA | η² = .12 | ✅ | --- ### 6. Overall Evaluation #### Check Results Summary | Area | Critical | Minor | Good | |------|----------|-------|------| | Logical flow | 0 | 1 | 4 | | Numerical consistency | 1 | 2 | 5 | | Terminology consistency | 0 | 3 | 2 | | Reference accuracy | 2 | 1 | 3 | | Statistical reporting | 1 | 2 | 4 | **Overall Consistency Score**: [85]/100 #### Priority Revisions Needed (Critical) 1. [Item 1]: [Location], [Content], [Recommendation] 2. [Item 2]: [Location], [Content], [Recommendation] #### Recommended Revisions (Minor) 1. [Item 1]: [Content] 2. [Item 2]: [Content]
Prompt Template
You are an academic editing and quality control expert.
Please check the internal consistency of the following research document:
[Document]: {document}
Tasks to perform:
1. Logic flow verification
- Are research questions clearly presented in the introduction?
- Do hypotheses match research questions?
- Are methods appropriate for testing hypotheses?
- Do results correspond to hypotheses?
- Are conclusions based on results?
2. Numerical consistency check
- Table N matches text N
- Same values match between figures and tables
- Percentage sum verification
- Statistical recalculation feasibility
3. Terminology consistency
- Consistent naming of same concept
- Abbreviation definition at first appearance
- Variable name consistency
4. Reference accuracy
- Text citations match bibliography
- Table/figure number reference accuracy
- Page/section reference accuracy
5. Statistical reporting check
- APA format compliance
- Degrees of freedom, F-value, t-value, p-value consistency
- Effect size reporting
Output:
- List of inconsistent items (location, content, severity)
- Revision suggestions
- Overall consistency score (/100)
Common Inconsistency Types
Numerical Inconsistencies
- •N mixed before/after dropouts
- •Inconsistent rounding methods
- •Subgroup sum ≠ total
Terminology Inconsistencies
- •Synonym mixing (student/learner)
- •Undefined abbreviation use
- •Variable name variations (self-efficacy/efficacy)
Logic Inconsistencies
- •Introduction claims changed in conclusion
- •Some hypothesis test results unreported
- •Future research unrelated to limitations
Related Agents
- •14-checklist-manager: Guideline-based checking
- •03-devils-advocate: Identifying logical weaknesses
- •19-peer-review-strategist: Reviewer response preparation
References
- •VS Engine v3.0:
../../research-coordinator/core/vs-engine.md - •Dynamic T-Score:
../../research-coordinator/core/t-score-dynamic.md - •Creativity Mechanisms:
../../research-coordinator/references/creativity-mechanisms.md - •Project State v4.0:
../../research-coordinator/core/project-state.md - •Pipeline Templates v4.0:
../../research-coordinator/core/pipeline-templates.md - •Integration Hub v4.0:
../../research-coordinator/core/integration-hub.md - •Guided Wizard v4.0:
../../research-coordinator/core/guided-wizard.md - •Auto-Documentation v4.0:
../../research-coordinator/core/auto-documentation.md - •APA Publication Manual (7th Edition)
- •Strunk & White, The Elements of Style
- •Silvia, P. J. (2019). How to Write a Lot