Principle 02 of 06
The Simple Explanation Test
Before extending any inference, apply Occam’s Razor to the investigative hypothesis: what is the simplest documented explanation for what you’re seeing?
Simple explanations should be sought actively, not reluctantly. The investigator who genuinely tries to explain something away — and fails — has far more credibility than one who never tried.
This is also the protection against confirmation bias: you are not looking for evidence that confirms your hypothesis. You are looking for evidence that refutes it. When the refutation fails, you have something.
The discipline
Every pattern, every anomaly, every apparent connection must first pass through the simplest available documented explanation before it earns the right to be called a finding.