rationale.

the reasoning or set of reasons used to justify a choice, belief, or procedure

Use it for

Words that belong together

• provide a rationale
• theoretical rationale
• rationale for a decision

On the page

The paper provides a rationale for excluding the earliest records.

Cost alone was not the rationale for the decision.

A clear rationale connects the method to the research question.

Usage notes

Primary curation section: Academic. Explains why an approach is taken; it is not simply a summary of what was done. Plural: rationales.