In his final article on the subject Ritter said that he had hoped to leave the problem of Plato's earlier works to younger hands, but since none had appeared willing to take on the task, had finally resolved to attack it himself. The results of his research were published, despite incompleteness, in the belief that they indicated the possibility of a solution and in the hope that they would be verified and completed by others.

The investigation comprised five main items: μήν, ὡς with a superlative adjective or adverb, ᾄλλος and ἔτερος, ὄσος, and ὥσπερ and οἰον each of which according to Ritter provided significant evidence on the question of chronology within the early group of works.

μήν

For this particle he re-classified and added to the material already made use of by Dittenberger. Whereas the latter had reckoned all occurrences of ἀλλὰ … μήν together as the same, Ritter pointed out that they were to be distinguished according to their sense, there being no relationship between the asseverative ἀλλ' οὐ(δὲ) μήν, ἀλλ' ἔστι μήν etc. and the interrogative ἀλλὰ τί(ς) μήν; A distinction likewise had to be made between the use of ἀλλὰ τί μήν; as a true interrogative and as a rhetorical question to form an affirmative reply.