Protocol for External Empirical Validation of Vitology: Preregistration of Hypotheses, Data, Model A / Model B, and Criteria for Scientific Outcomes

This article formulates the foundational protocol for external empirical validation of candidate constructs of Vitology. Its primary objective is to prevent post hoc adjustment of definitions of viability, variables, models, temporal horizons, and success criteria to already known outcomes. Exploratory and confirmatory modes of analysis are distinguished. A new regularity may be discovered in exploratory data, but it is not considered confirmed until a prediction formulated in advance is tested on independent data. Three principal classes of external-data suitability are introduced: direct data, in which the required variables are measured independently; reconstructable data, in which V can be calculated from published measurements according to a prespecified rule; and analogical data, which may support conceptual comparison but are insufficient for empirical validation. The following comparison architecture is formalized: Model A_D — the strongest available domain-specific model in a given domain, and: Model B_D = Model A_D + V* where V* contains only predefined, measurable, and non-redundant Vitological components. The principal criterion of candidate independence is: Predictive Performance(Model B_D) > Predictive Performance(Model A_D) on data not used to construct or tune the tested construct. Separate rules are established for selection of the carrier, boundary, level, critical functions, environment, temporal horizon, outcome, predictors, missing-data handling, separation of development and evaluation datasets, prevention of information leakage, selection of the primary metric, uncertainty analysis, and registration of deviations from protocol. A system of scientific outcomes is formulated: support, limited support, absence of added support, negative result, inconclusive result, and methodologically invalid test. The protocol requires publication of positive, negative, and inconclusive results. I0 does not test a particular theory of Vitology. It establishes a unified methodological framework within which subsequent I.A articles must submit candidate propositions to testing against independent data. Keywords Vitology, viability, empirical validation, preregistration, external validation, Model A, Model B, independent data, added predictive value, reproducibility, cross-domain testing, dynamic outcome, viability profile, viability trajectory, observability, uncertainty, falsifiability, open science, Field of Life.