| type | skill |
| lifecycle | stable |
| inheritance | inheritable |
| name | academic-research |
| description | Research project scaffolding, thesis/dissertation writing, literature reviews, publication workflows, and Alex-assisted academic workflows |
| tier | extended |
| category | documentation |
| applyTo | **/*paper*,**/*manuscript*,**/*journal*,**/*thesis*,**/*dissertation*,**/*research*,**/*academic* |
| currency | 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z |
Academic Research
Complete research lifecycle: project setup, literature review, writing, publication, and defense.
Project Structure
research-project/
├── .github/
│ └── copilot-instructions.md # Research context for Alex
├── docs/
│ ├── RESEARCH-PLAN.md # Questions, timeline, milestones
│ ├── METHODOLOGY.md # Design decisions
│ └── DECISION-LOG.md # Key decisions with rationale
├── data/
│ ├── raw/ # Untouched source data
│ ├── processed/ # Cleaned/transformed
│ └── DATA-DICTIONARY.md # Variable definitions
├── analysis/
│ ├── scripts/ # Analysis code
│ └── outputs/ # Figures, tables
├── writing/
│ ├── drafts/ # Work in progress
│ └── submissions/ # Submitted versions
├── references/
│ ├── LITERATURE-MATRIX.md # Systematic tracking
│ └── notes/ # Reading notes
└── README.md
Quick Setup
mkdir -p .github docs data/{raw,processed} analysis/{scripts,outputs} writing/{drafts,submissions} references/notes
touch docs/RESEARCH-PLAN.md docs/METHODOLOGY.md references/LITERATURE-MATRIX.md .github/copilot-instructions.md
Research Project Types
| Type | Duration | Output | Review |
|---|
| Master's Thesis | 1-2 years | 80-150 pages | Committee defense |
| PhD Dissertation | 3-7 years | 150-300+ pages | Committee + external |
| Journal Article | 3-12 months | 5,000-10,000 words | Peer review |
| Conference Paper | 2-6 months | 4,000-8,000 words | Peer review |
Research Question Development
PICO Framework
- Population — Who is being studied?
- Intervention — What is being tested?
- Comparison — Against what?
- Outcome — What is measured?
FINER Criteria
| Criterion | Question |
|---|
| Feasible |
