# Chapter 4 — synthesis draft v1 (round 1 input)

<!-- AUDIT NOTE: A3 mis-anchor + C2 reflexivity drift + D4 word-count cap bust + C1 hedge drop -->

## §4.2 Background

Smith (2024) demonstrates that institutional QA frameworks have shifted toward
outcome-based metrics over the past decade. Lin (2023) provides empirical
evidence for the cross-national applicability of these metrics in East Asian
universities, including Taiwan and Korea.

[A3 trigger] The empirical claim that East Asian universities have universally
adopted outcome-based QA is anchored to Smith (2024); however, Smith (2024)
covers North American institutions only. The claim should anchor to Lin (2023).

## §4.5 Reflexivity disclosure

[C2 trigger] During this period, the author served as an institutional QA
reviewer. This dual role may have shaped the framing of the analysis.

(Deictic "during this period" — ambiguous between past and present.)
