Build and check the logic of your conceptual framework
Answer a few questions about your study, get a starting framework, then refine the relationships and check whether the logic holds.
- Which constructs belong in your framework
- What each arrow actually claims
- Whether the framework covers what your objectives require
- A clean figure and a written description for your proposal
What kind of study are you building a framework for?
About the Conceptual Framework Builder
A conceptual framework is a diagram of the concepts in your study and the relationships you expect between them. This builder turns your outcome, predictors, mediators, moderators and contextual factors into a labelled figure, checks it for gaps, and exports it as SVG or PNG for a proposal or thesis.
Who it is for
Postgraduate students, early-career researchers and programme teams who need a defensible framework figure for a proposal, thesis chapter, grant application or protocol.
What it helps you decide
It supports quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods framings, and helps you decide which concepts belong in the study, what role each plays, and which relationships you are actually claiming rather than implying.
Limitations
It maps concepts and stated relationships. It does not supply substantive theory, does not establish causality, and an arrow in the figure is a hypothesis to justify, not evidence.
Longer teaching on this sits in the conceptual framework guide. It explains how frameworks differ from theoretical frameworks and how to justify each relationship.
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