Skill: Research

Purpose

Conduct structured, systematic research on any topic — synthesizing sources, extracting key findings, identifying gaps, and producing a clear research brief. Designed for both technical and non-technical research tasks.

When to Use

• Investigating a new technology, library, or approach before implementation
• Competitive analysis or market research
• Literature review before writing documentation or proposals
• Due diligence on a tool, service, or vendor
• Pre-planning research before starting a feature

Instructions

Step 1: Define the Research Question

Before searching, clarify:

• Primary question: What is the core thing you need to know?
• Scope: How deep? How broad? Time constraints?
• Output type: Decision brief? Technical summary? Comparison table?
• Audience: Who will read this? What do they already know?

Step 2: Identify Source Categories

Structure the research across these source types:

• Official docs / primary sources — authoritative, current
• Community knowledge — GitHub issues, forums, Stack Overflow
• Comparisons / reviews — third-party analysis
• Case studies / examples — real-world usage
• Critiques / limitations — known problems, caveats

Step 3: Extract & Synthesize

For each source:

• Record the key claim or finding
• Note the source credibility and recency
• Flag contradictions between sources
• Identify consensus vs. contested points

Step 4: Identify Gaps

Document what you couldn't find or what remains uncertain:

• Missing data points
• Questions that need primary research (e.g., direct testing)
• Assumptions that need validation

Step 5: Produce Research Brief

## Research Brief: [Topic]
**Date:** [Date]
**Researcher:** Claude
**Question:** [Primary research question]

---

### Executive Summary
[2–3 sentences: what was found and what it means]

### Key Findings
1. [Finding] — Source: [URL or description] (Confidence: High/Medium/Low)
2. ...

### Comparison / Options (if applicable)
| Option | Pros | Cons | Best For |
|--------|------|------|----------|
| ...    | ...  | ...  | ...      |

### Gaps & Uncertainties
- [What remains unknown]
- [What needs direct testing]

### Recommendation
[Clear recommendation based on findings, with rationale]

### Sources
- [Source 1]: [URL or description]
- [Source 2]: ...

Example Prompt to Trigger

/research
Topic: [what to research]
Question: [specific question to answer]
Output: [decision brief / comparison / summary]

Output Format

• Structured research brief in markdown
• Executive summary at the top
• Comparison tables where options exist
• Clear recommendation with rationale
• Sources listed at the bottom

Notes

• Always distinguish between facts (verifiable), claims (stated by sources), and opinions (subjective assessments)
• Flag information older than 2 years as potentially outdated
• If web browsing is available, use it; otherwise synthesize from provided content
• For technical research in this repo, consider saving to docs/research/[topic]-YYYY-MM-DD.md
• Cross-reference with existing repo skills (e.g., use insights skill after research to extract patterns)