Part 12: How do you interpret the results? · Module 29
Say what CNA actually found, and not one inch more
Avoiding Common Mistakes
The most common interpretation error is over-claiming causation from a single configurational study. CNA identifies dependency structures consistent with a causal reading. It does not, on its own, prove that one thing causes another. Keep your language honest:
Because conjunctivity is the whole premise of CNA, yanking one condition out of a bundle and crowning it "the cause" quietly contradicts the method you just spent ten modules learning. Report the bundle, not the brick.
What You Will Be Able to Do
- Avoid over-claiming causation from one study.
- Use careful language like 'consistent with the data'.
- Report the whole bundle, not one cherry-picked condition.