Isomorphic Triangulation: A Structural Framework for Methodological Integration

Triangulation constitutes a well-established strategy for strengthening research through the combination of data, investigators, theories, or methods (Denzin, 1978; Jick, 1979). However, convergence between results does not necessarily imply that the different approaches represent the phenomenon through structurally compatible relations. This work proposes Isomorphic Triangulation (IT) as an original methodological framework aimed at identifying, representing, and evaluating the degree to which different independent representations of the same phenomenon preserve relevant relations among their elements. The proposal integrates contributions from methodological triangulation, mixed methods, structural isomorphism, general systems theory, causal-mechanism analysis, and the design of methodological artifacts (Peffers et al., 2007). Semantic, relational, causal, temporal, and functional dimensions are established, together with three levels of correspondence and a ten-stage operational protocol; an Isomorphic Correspondence Index (ICI) is proposed exploratorily, accompanied by an explicit treatment of uncertainty and conditions for structural falsifiability. IT is presented as a methodological hypothesis susceptible to demonstration, empirical evaluation, and revision, not as an already-consolidated method.