Research Methods

Standards for conducting research, evaluating sources, and presenting information in clear, well-formatted responses.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Researching documentation for tools, frameworks, or APIs
• Gathering information from multiple sources
• Synthesizing findings into coherent responses
• Creating reference materials
• Answering questions requiring external information
• Building knowledge bases

Key Principles

1. Ask before researching - Clarify ambiguous queries before starting
2. Prioritize official sources - Documentation over tutorials, primary over secondary
3. Track all sources - Maintain attribution for every piece of information
4. Match format to need - Simple questions get simple answers, complex get detailed
5. Accuracy over speed - Cross-reference critical information
6. User-focused presentation - Scannable, organized, actionable

Response Type Selection

Simple Response

Use when:

• Single, specific question
• How-to query with clear scope
• Quick reference lookup
• Command syntax or parameter info
• Definition or concept explanation
• User wants fast answer

Template:

# [Concise Title]

[Direct answer to the question]

[Code example if applicable]

## Sources
- [URL] - [Description]

Example questions:

• "How do I amend a git commit?"
• "What is the Stop hook in Claude Code?"
• "How to use WebFetch tool?"

Detailed Response

Use when:

• Broad, exploratory question
• Request mentions "all", "detailed", "in-depth"
• Time estimate provided ("5 min intro", "quick overview")
• Multiple related concepts
• Comparative analysis
• Building reference material

Template:

# [Descriptive Title]

[Executive summary - 2-3 sentences providing overview]

## Overview
[Context and background]

## [Topic Section 1]
[Detailed information]

## [Topic Section 2]
[Detailed information]

## Key Takeaways
- [Point 1]
- [Point 2]
- [Point 3]

## Sources
- [URL] - [Description]

Research Document Format

For deep research, produce a long-form document with the following structure:

---
date: YYYY-MM-DD
query: <original research input>
stack: <detected tech stack>
---

# Research: <Topic>

## Summary
{3-5 sentence answer — what this is, why it matters, what to use}

## Tech Stack Context
{Detected stack and how it affects the recommendations below}

## Key Findings
{Bulleted findings with source tier labels: [Tier 1], [Tier 2], [Tier 3], [Tier 4]}

## Library / Tool Comparison
{Table: name | what it does | stars/downloads | license | when to use}

## How-To: Implementation Guide
{Step by step, as if teaching someone from scratch}
### Step 1: ...
### Step 2: ...
{Code examples in the project's detected language at every step}

## Scenarios
{Table or subsections covering: basic case, edge cases, production considerations}

## Diagrams
{Mermaid flowcharts, sequence diagrams, or architecture diagrams as applicable}

## Knowledge Gaps
{What this research didn't cover, where to look next}

## Sources
{Tiered list: Tier 1 (Authoritative) > Tier 2 (Secondary) > Tier 3 (Community) > Tier 4 (Unverified)}

Tech Stack Detection

Scan the project root for these indicators to determine the tech stack. Multiple matches are additive.

File	Stack
README.md	Project documentation (read for context)
go.mod	Go
Cargo.toml	Rust
pyproject.toml / setup.py	Python
package.json + tsconfig.json	TypeScript/Node
package.json (no tsconfig)	JavaScript/Node
next.config.*	Next.js (React)
vite.config.*	Vite (React/Vue/Svelte)
Makefile only	C/C++ or mixed
none found	Language-agnostic

Use the detected stack to:

• Provide code examples in the correct language
• Search the appropriate package registry (npm, pkg.go.dev, PyPI, crates.io)
• Reference stack-specific conventions and patterns

Research Process

1. Clarification Phase

Before starting research:

• Identify ambiguities in the query
• Ask specific clarifying questions
• Don't assume user intent
• Use AskUserQuestion tool for multiple clarifications

2. Source Selection

Priority order:

Tier 1: Authoritative Primary Sources

• Official documentation from tool/framework creators
• Published specifications and standards
• Official repositories and codebases
• First-party blog posts and announcements

Tier 2: Authoritative Secondary Sources

• Well-known educators and tutorial sites
• Official community resources
• Verified contributor blogs
• Respected technical publications

Tier 3: Community Sources

• Stack Overflow answers
• GitHub issues and discussions
• Developer blogs
• Tutorial websites

Tier 4: Unverified Sources

• Content farms, unattributed tutorials, outdated resources
• Use with extreme caution, always verify against higher-tier sources

3. Information Gathering

For each source:

1. Read thoroughly
2. Extract relevant information
3. Note source URL and description
4. Identify key points
5. Check publication date/relevance

Cross-referencing:

• Verify critical facts across 2+ sources
• Note version-specific information
• Flag contradictions for investigation
• Prefer recent over outdated

4. Synthesis

Organize information:

• Group related concepts
• Order from general to specific
• Identify patterns and relationships
• Extract key takeaways

Quality checks:

• Is it accurate?
• Is it complete for the query?
• Is it clearly presented?
• Are sources properly attributed?

Formatting Standards

Markdown Structure

Headers:

• H1 (#) - Title only
• H2 (##) - Major sections
• H3 (###) - Subsections if needed
• Keep hierarchy shallow (max 3 levels)

Code blocks:

# Always specify language
# Include comments for clarity

Lists:

• Use bullets for unordered items
• Use numbers for sequential steps
• Keep items parallel in structure
• One idea per bullet point

Emphasis:

• Bold for key terms and important points
• Italic sparingly for subtle emphasis
• Code font for technical terms, commands, file names

Source Attribution

Format:

## Sources
- [URL] - [Brief description of what info came from this source]

Best practices:

• List in order of importance/relevance
• Keep descriptions concise (5-10 words)
• Include official docs first
• Don't duplicate similar sources

Quality Standards

Accuracy

• Cross-reference critical information
• Note version-specific details
• Flag assumptions or uncertainties
• Prefer official sources

Completeness

• Answer the actual question asked
• Include necessary context
• Provide examples when helpful
• Cover edge cases if relevant

Clarity

• Use simple, direct language
• Define technical terms
• Organize information logically
• Make content scannable

Attribution

• Cite every source used
• Track where information came from
• Describe what each source contributed
• Link to original documentation

Error Handling

Insufficient Information

I found limited information about [topic]. Based on available sources:
[Present what was found]

This might indicate:
- Recent/unreleased feature
- Deprecated functionality
- Different terminology

Would you like me to search with alternative terms?

Contradictory Sources

I found conflicting information:
- Source A: [X]
- Source B: [Y]

This appears to be due to [version/context/timing].
The most current information suggests: [recommendation]

No Results

I couldn't find reliable sources for [topic].

Could you:
- Verify the terminology?
- Provide more context?
- Specify the tool/version?

Related Files

• references/templates.md - Detailed template examples with full samples
• references/search-strategies.md - Advanced search techniques per domain
• references/source-evaluation.md - Criteria for assessing source quality